COPAFS News
Katherine K. Wallman (1943 – 2024)
Katherine K. Wallman, former Chief Statistician of the United States, passed away at the age of 80 on January 17th, 2024, after a short illness. Katherine was a tireless supporter of federal statistics, from her start at the National Center of Education Statistics, to serving as the first Executive Director of COPAFS from 1981 to 1992, to her time as Chief Statistician of the U.S. from 1992 to 2017, and all the work she took on while she was “retired”. Katherine had a sharp mind, deep commitment to federal statistics, and a welcoming manner which made working with her less intimidating than it should have been.
New BLS Commissioner: Dr. Erika McEntarfer
Congratulations to Dr. Erika McEntarfer who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 11th as the next BLS Commissioner. Erika McEntarfer previously served as the head of research for the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) program at the Center for Economic Studies (CES) at the U.S. Census Bureau. In this role, she led a section of economists conducting research in various fields of economics, including labor, macro-, education, and urban economics. She also led the development of new experimental economic statistics derived from the LEHD jobs data, such as Job-to-Job Flows, Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes, and Veteran Employment Outcomes. Prior to joining CES, she was an economist at the U.S. Treasury Department. She recently served as a senior economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisors. McEntarfer’s own research is focused on job loss, retirement, worker mobility, and wage rigidity. She holds a B.A. in Social Science from Bard College and a Ph.D. in Economics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Dr. McEntarfer’s first day as Commissioner was January 29th.
2024 FCSM Conference – Call for Abstracts
The 2024 FCSM Research and Policy Conference will take place October 22 thru October 24 at the College Park Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. The call for abstracts has been released and Abstracts are due April 8th. Visit fcsmconf.org for details leading up to the conference.
COPAFS Quarterly Meeting Presentations
The presentations from each Quarterly Meeting are posted shortly following the meeting on the original meeting agenda. Ex: December 2023 Quarterly Meeting. This includes links to the topics which Karin Orvis refers to in her OMB Update each quarter. For COPAFS Members the full video (sans the OMB Update) is available on the Members Only site.
Upcoming Events
COPAFS Quarterly Meeting: March 1
COPAFS will hold its next Quarterly Meeting on Friday, March 1, 2024. We have secured space at USDA (near Smithsonian Metro) for this meeting but will also have a hybrid option available for those who cannot join in-person. The meeting agenda will be available in February.
2024 FCSM Conference: Call for Abstracts
The Call for Abstracts for the 2024 FCSM Research & Policy Conference was just released on Monday, January 29, 2024. The deadline for turning in abstracts is April 8, 2024. For updates about the conference please visit fcsmconf.org.
National Association for Business Economists – Annual Economic Policy Conference: Feb 14-16
The 40th Annual NABE Economic Policy Conference will be held February 14-16, 2024, in Washington, DC. The conference theme is “Navigating Geopolitical Turbulence and Domestic Uncertainty.” For more information please visit the conference site.
American Education Research Association – 2024 Annual Meeting: April 11-14
The AERA 2024 Annual Meeting will be held April 11-14, 2024, in Philadelphia, PA. The theme is “Dismantling Racial Injustice and Constructing Educational Possibilities.” For more information, visit the conference site.
American Association for Public Opinion Research – 79th Annual Meeting: May 15-17
AAPOR’s 79th Annual Conference will be held May 15-17, 2024 in Atlanta, GA. The theme is “Impacting Communities: Surveys, Public Opinion Research, and Engaged Scholarship.” For more information, visit the conference site.
IASSIST – 49th Annual Conference – May 28-30
The International Association for Social Science Information Service & Technology will hold its 49th Annual Conference May 28-30, 2024, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The theme is “Navigating the Future of Data.” For more information, visit the conference site.
Agency Releases
Bureau of Economic Analysis (DOC)
- On January 26, Personal Income and Outlays, December 2023 was released. Personal income increased $60.0 billion (0.3 percent at a monthly rate) in December, according to estimates released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Disposable personal income (DPI), personal income less personal current taxes, increased $51.8 billion (0.3 percent) and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $133.9 billion (0.7 percent).
- On January 9, US International Trade in Goods and Services, November 2023 was released. The goods and services deficit was $63.2 billion in November, down $1.3 billion from $64.5 billion in October, revised.
Bureau of Justice Statistics (DOJ)
- On January 29, Primary State Law Enforcement Agencies: Personnel, 2020 was released. Primary state law enforcement agencies employed about 61,200 full-time sworn officers and almost 31,700 full-time civilian personnel in 2020. In 2020, about 10% of full-time sworn officers in primary state law enforcement agencies were Hispanic, and 6% were black. In 2020, more than half (52%) of primary state law enforcement agencies had personnel assigned to full-time specialized units focused on impaired drivers.
- On January 18, Federal Justice Statistics, 2022 was released. During fiscal year (FY) 2022, federal law enforcement agencies made 96,857 arrests, a 24% increase from the 78,068 arrests in FY 2021. In the 26,233 Drug Enforcement Administration arrests in FY 2022, the most common type of drug involved was methamphetamine (8,083 arrests), followed by other opioids, including fentanyl (5,375 arrests). Persons exiting federal prison in FY 2022 for nonregulatory public order offenses, including sex offenses, served more time (66 months) than persons exiting for violent offenses (56 months) or drug offenses (53 months). The median number of days from the receipt of an investigation to the decision by a U.S. attorney to prosecute or decline a matter was 60 days in FY 2022, down from 70 days in FY 2021.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (DO
- On January 23, Union Members – 2023 was released. The union membership rate–the percent of wage and salary workers who were members of unions–was 10.0 percent in 2023, little changed from the previous year. The number of wage and salary workers belonging to unions, at 14.4 million, also showed little movement over the year. In 1983, the first year for which comparable data are available, the union membership rate was 20.1 percent and there were 17.7 million union workers.
- On January 30, Job Openings and Labor Turnover (JOLTS) – December 2023 was released. The number of job openings changed little at 9.0 million on the last business day of December. Over the month, the number of hires and total separations were little changed at 5.6 million and 5.4 million, respectively. Within separations, quits (3.4 million) and layoffs and discharges (1.6 million) changed little. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm sector, by industry, and by establishment size class.
Bureau of Transportation Statistics (DOT)
- On January 16, U.S. Average Domestic Fares – Q3 2023 were released. The average U.S. domestic air fare decreased in the third quarter of 2023 to $368, down 6.9% from the second quarter 2023 inflation-adjusted fare of $395. Passenger demand decreased in the third quarter to 86.6 million passengers, down from 88.8 million passengers in the second quarter.
- On January 5, the final update to the Government Transportation Statistics was released. The GTFS provides a set of maps, charts, and tables with information on transportation-related revenue and expenditures for all levels of government, including federal, state, and local, and for all modes of transportation. This year BTS will transition to a new product called Transportation Public Finance Statistics (TPFS). TPFS builds on the GTFS foundation buy increasing the granularity of the estimates and will include a preliminary release in June of 2024 (2022 estimates) as well as an annual release in December 2024.
Census Bureau (DOC)
- On January 29, 2022 Annual Wholesale Trade Survey was released. Motor Vehicle and Motor Vehicle Parts and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (NAICS 4231) had sales of $1,106.9 billion in 2022, up 17.2% from $944.4 billion in 2021. Sales of Drugs and Druggists’ Sundries Merchant Wholesalers (NAICS 4242) were $1,294.1 billion in 2022, up 11.4% from $1,161.9 billion in 2021. Grocery and Related Product Merchant Wholesalers’ (NAICS 4244) sales were $1,262.9 billion in 2022, a 12.8% increase from $1,120.0 billion in 2021. Petroleum and Petroleum Products Merchant Wholesalers’ (NAICS 4247) sales were $2,089.5 billion in 2022, up 45.4% from $1,436.8 billion in 2021.
- On January 25, the 2022 Economic Census First Look was released. In 2022, the number of establishments with paid employees increased to just over 8.0 million, up from 7.6 million establishments in 2017 and 7.1 million establishments in 2012. These establishments employed 140.0 million employees with an annual payroll of $8.6 trillion dollars. Industry coverage has been expanded to include businesses in Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry (115) not captured in the census of agriculture. Preliminary estimates show 14.9 thousand establishments, employing 324.4 thousand workers generating $59.3 billion in revenue in 2022. The Retail Trade sector (44-45) was the largest of the sectors covered by the economic census with 1.0 million establishments, followed closely by Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54) and Health Care and Social Assistance (62) with 976.3 thousand and 975.4 thousand establishments, respectively. The Transportation and Warehousing sector (48-49) saw the largest percent increase in the number of establishments between 2017 and 2022, up 24.2% (an increase of 57.0 thousand establishments) over this period.
Economic Research Service (USDA)
- On January 19, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook: January 2024 was released. Based on December slaughter data and heavier-than-expected carcass weights, the fourth-quarter 2023 production forecast is raised from last month. Heavier carcass weights carried into early 2024, combined with higher anticipated fed cattle marketings, result in an increase in the beef production forecast in 2024 to 26.110 billion pounds. Based on recent data, the forecast for the average number of cows in 2024 has been lowered to 9.350 million head (-10,000 head) and the forecast for annual milk per cow has been lowered to 24,415 pounds per cow (-50 pounds).
- On January 11, Trends, Insights, and Future Prospects for Production in Controlled Environment Agriculture and Agrivoltaics Systems was released. The amount of specialty crop production with CEA systems is small compared to outdoor production, but the number of individual CEA operations more than doubled to nearly 3,000 between 2009 and 2019. The quantity of crop production increased by 56 percent over that same period, from 502 million pounds to 786 million pounds. The aggregate sales value for CEA crops rose from $296 million in 1998 to $769 million in 2014 (in inflation-adjusted terms) but declined to $626 million in 2019 due to declines in the sales value of the dominant CEA crops (particularly tomatoes). This number is likely partly due to increased competition from imports, putting downward pressure on the value of sales per unit. Additionally, new technologies were used to produce a large share of total CEA production, with more than 60 percent of tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce grown using hydroponics in 2019.
Energy Information Administration (DOE)
- On January 19, updated analyses were provided from the State Energy Portal. These analyses contain data and Quick Facts for: Delaware, District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia.
- On January 16, the updated Drilling Productivity Report was released. This report uses recent data on the total number of drilling rigs in operation along with estimates of drilling productivity and estimated changes in production from existing oil and natural gas wells to provide estimated changes in oil1 and natural gas2 production for seven key regions.
National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA)
- On January 11, it was announced that the National Agricultural Classification Survey will kick off in January. The survey, an important step in determining who should receive a 2027 Census of Agriculture questionnaire, will go to approximately 250,000 recipients to ask if they conduct agricultural activity. The results of the survey will ensure that every U.S. producer, no matter how large or small their operation, has a voice and is counted in the highly anticipated and influential agricultural census data. “This survey helps illustrate the breadth of American agriculture and enables USDA to get a complete count of all farmers and ranchers,” said NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer. “Every response matters. Even if a recipient believes that the survey does not apply to them, we ask that they respond to the few screening questions.”
National Center for Education Statistics (IES)
- On January 17, Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools was released. During the 2021–22 school year, about 857,500 violent incidents and 479,500 nonviolent incidents were recorded by U.S. public schools. Sixty-seven percent of schools reported having at least one violent incident, and 59 percent reported having at least one nonviolent incident. Sixty-one percent of schools reported at least one physical attack or fight without a weapon. Four percent of schools reported such an attack with a weapon. Three percent of all public schools (approximately 3,000 schools) reported that at least one hate crime occurred at school during the 2021–22 school year. The rate was higher in schools with over 1,000 students (8 percent) than in schools with lower enrollments (ranging from 2 to 4 percent).
- On January 3, a blog post providing new data on School District Structures was released. The organizing structures for school districts reflect the policies and practices of local and state governments and historical trends across many states. For example, there was a large consolidation in local education agencies (LEAs) in the last century as the number of regular school districts decreased from 117,100 in 1939–40 to fewer than 14,900 in 2000–01. These structural differences can make it challenging for researchers to estimate student enrollment by county and drill down into other data. This is important because the structure of LEAs and their relationships to county boundaries can impact the capability of researchers and policy analysts to align existing county and district data in ways that could better inform education policies.
National Center for Health Statistics (CDC)
- On January 11, Lack of Reliable Transportation for Daily Living Among Adults, 2022 was released. In 2022, 5.7% of adults lacked reliable transportation for daily living in the past 12 months. Women (6.1%) were more likely than men (5.3%) to lack reliable transportation. The percentage of adults who lacked reliable transportation was lowest among Asian non-Hispanic adults (3.6%) compared with other race and Hispanic-origin groups. Lack of reliable transportation decreased with increasing education level and family income.
- On January 22, Validation of the Enhanced Opioid Identification and Co-occurring Disorders Algorithm was released. The opioid-involvement algorithm achieved the highest performance, performing well with an F-score of 0.95, followed by the substance use disorder algorithm (F-score of 0.79), the mental health issues algorithm (F-score of 0.68), and the opioid overdose algorithm (F-score of 0.48). Assessment by Matthews correlation coefficient indicated an overall poorer level of performance, ranging from a high of 0.57 for the mental health issues algorithm to a low of 0.33 for the opioid-involvement algorithm. The causes of false positives and false negatives likewise varied, including both overly broad code and keyword inclusions as well as incompleteness of data submitted to the National Hospital Care Survey.)
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NSF)
- On January 22, an analysis of U.S. R&D Expenditures was released. Research and experimental development (R&D) performed in the United States totaled $789.1 billion in 2021. The estimated total for 2022, based on performer-reported expectations, is $885.6 billion. Businesses reported a projected $84.1 billion increase in 2022 R&D performance above 2021.
- On January 25, data tables for Federal R&D Funding, by Budget Function, 2022-2024 were released. The tables present data on the federal budget authority for R&D and R&D plant by agency and functional categories. Agency R&D data are classified into federal budget functions, such as Defense, Health, Space, and Energy.
Statistics of Income (IRS)
- In January, the Mid-November Filing Season Statistics for Individuals, Tax Year 2022 was released. These tables provide data collected from U. S. Individual Income Tax Returns (Forms 1040) filed and processed through November 23, 2023, for Tax Year 2022. These data include selected income items, adjustments, credits, and taxes, by size of adjusted gross income.
Federal Register Notices
There were 33 federal register notices posted by federal statistical agencies from December 26, 2023 to January 25, 2024. Links to each of these notices are organized by agency below.
Bureau of Economic Analysis (DOC) – 12 New Notices
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 1/22/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Direct Investment Surveys: BE-605, Quarterly Survey of Foreign Direct Investment in the United States-Transactions of U.S. Affiliate with Foreign Parent | Link |
| 1/18/2024 | BE-11: Annual Survey of U.S. Direct Investment Abroad | Link |
| 1/18/2024 | BE-577: Quarterly Survey of U.S. Direct Investment Abroad-Transactions of U.S. Reporter With Foreign Affiliate | Link |
| 1/18/2024 | BE-125: Quarterly Survey of Transactions in Selected Services and Intellectual Property With Foreign Persons | Link |
| 1/18/2024 | BE-37: Quarterly Survey of U.S. Airline Operators’ Foreign Revenues and Expenses | Link |
| 1/18/2024 | BE-30: Quarterly Survey of Ocean Freight Revenues and Foreign Expenses of U.S. Carriers | Link |
| 1/18/2024 | BE-15: Annual Survey of Foreign Direct Investment in the United States | Link |
| 1/18/2024 | BE-9: Quarterly Survey of Foreign Airline Operators’ Revenues and Expenses in the United States | Link |
| 1/18/2024 | BE-605: Quarterly Survey of Foreign Direct Investment in the United States-Transactions of U.S. Affiliate With Foreign Parent | Link |
| 1/18/2024 | BE-185: Quarterly Survey of Financial Services Transactions Between U.S. Financial Services Providers and Foreign Persons | Link |
| 1/18/2024 | BE-45: Quarterly Survey of Insurance Transactions by U.S. Insurance Companies With Foreign Persons | Link |
| 1/18/2024 | BE-29: Annual Survey of Foreign Ocean Carriers’ Expenses in the United States | Link |
Bureau of Justice Statistics (DOJ) – 5 New Notices
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 1/24/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Revision of a Previously Approved Collection; Final Disposition Report (R-84), With Supplemental Questions R-84(a), R-84(b), R-84(c), R-84(d), R-84(e), R-84(f), R-84(g), R-84(h), R-84(i), and R-84(j) | Link |
| 1/24/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Extension of a Previously Approved Collection; Drug Use Statement | Link |
| 1/18/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Revision of a Previously Approved Collection; Address Verification/Change Request Form (1-797) | Link |
| 1/18/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Extension of a Previously Approved Collection; Firearm Inquiry Statistics (FIST) Program | Link |
| 12/26/2023 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Revision of a Previously Approved Collection; Report of Multiple Sale or Other Disposition of Certain Rifles | Link |
Bureau of Labor Statistics (DOL) – 3 New Notices
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 1/19/2024 | Information Collection Activities; Comment Request – Proposed revision of the International Price Program (IPP) U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes. | Link |
| 1/18/2024 | Information Collection Activities; Comment Request – Proposed extension of the “Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) Program” | Link |
| 1/11/2024 | Information Collection Activities; Comment Request – Proposed revision of the “Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Business Supplement.” | Link |
Bureau of Transportation Statistics (DOT) – 2 New Notices
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 1/12/2024 | Agency Information Collection; Activity Under OMB Review; Submission of Audit Reports-Part 248 | Link |
| 1/12/2024 | Agency Information Collection; Activity Under OMB Review; Report of Extension of Credit to Political Candidates-Form 183 | Link |
Census Bureau (DOC) – 5 New Notices
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 1/22/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Annual Business Survey | Link |
| 1/19/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Census Household Panel Topical 4, Topical 5, and Topical 6 Operations | Link |
| 1/16/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Quarterly Survey of Plant Capacity Utilization | Link |
| 1/12/2024 | Draft Plan for Providing Public Access to the Results of Federally Funded Research | Link |
| 1/2/2024 | Census Scientific Advisory Committee; Request for Nominations | Link |
Economic Research Service (USDA) – No New Notices
Energy Information Administration (DOE) – 1 New Notice
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 1/5/2024 | Agency Information Collection – Proposed three-year extension with changes of Form EIA–914 Monthly Crude Oil and Lease Condensate, and Natural Gas Production Report. | Link |
National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA) – No New Notices
National Center for Education Statistics (DOEd) – 4 New Notices
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 1/22/2024 | Eligibility Designations and Applications for Waiving Eligibility Requirements; Programs Under Parts A and F of Title III and Programs Under Title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as Amended (HEA) | Link |
| 1/18/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2024 Amendment #4 | Link |
| 1/11/2024 | Education Department General Administrative Regulations and Related Regulatory Provisions | Link |
| 12/29/2023 | Assessment Development Committee Meeting | Link |
National Center for Health Statistics (HHS) – 1 New Notice
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 1/16/2024 | Meeting of the Board of Scientific Counselors, National Center for Health Statistics, March 6, 2024, 11:00AM | Link |
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NSF) – No New Notices
Office of Research, Evaluation & Statistics (SSA) – No New Notices
Statistics of Income Division (IRS) – No New Notices