COPAFS News
2024 FCSM Conference – Sponsorships Available
The 2024 FCSM Research and Policy Conference will take place October 22 thru October 24 at the College Park Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. Abstracts are currently being reviewed by the Planning Committee. Sponsorships for the conference are available for purchase at fcsmconf.org.
Friends of BLS FY25 Recommendation: $812 Million
The Friends of BLS recently sent their recommendation letter to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittees on both the House and Senate Side. The letter asks for a total of $812 million for the BLS appropriation in the FY25 budget. BLS received $698 million in FY23 and again in FY24. This request seeks to get back a portion of the purchasing power BLS has lost over the past decade, due to being flat funded periodically and rising inflation. The letter goes on to detail specific programs which will benefit from the additional funding.
Upcoming Events
COPAFS Quarterly Meeting: June 7
COPAFS will hold its next Quarterly Meeting on Friday, June 7, 2024. We have secured space at the AERA Convening Center (1430 K St, NW, Suite 700) 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 May.
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.
2024 Joint Statistical Meetings: August 3-8
JSM 2024 will be held August 3-8, 2024 in Portland, OR. The conference theme is “Statistics and Data Science: Informing Policy and Countering Misinformation.” For more information, visit the conference site.
American Psychological Association 2024 Convention: August 8-10
APA 2024 will be held August 8-10, 2024 in Seattle, WA. For more information, visit the conference site.
119th American Sociological Association Annual Meeting: August 9-13
The 119th ASA Annual Meeting will be held August 9-13, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec. The conference theme is “Intersectional Solidarities: Building Communities of Hope, Justice, and Joy.” For more information, visit the conference site.
Agency Releases
Bureau of Economic Analysis (DOC)
- On April 26, Personal Income and Outlays, March 2024 was released. Personal income increased $122.0 billion (0.5 percent at a monthly rate) in March. Disposable personal income —personal income less personal current taxes—increased $104.0 billion (0.5 percent). Personal outlays—the sum of personal consumption expenditures, personal interest payments, and personal current transfer payments—increased $172.1 billion (0.9 percent) and consumer spending increased $160.9 billion (0.8 percent). Personal saving was $671.0 billion and the personal saving rate— personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income—was 3.2 percent in March.
- On April 25, Gross Domestic Product, First Quarter 2024 was released. Real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 1.6 percent in the first quarter of 2024, according to the “advance” estimate. In the fourth quarter of 2023, real GDP increased 3.4 percent. The increase in the first quarter primarily reflected increases in consumer spending and housing investment that were partly offset by a decrease in inventory investment. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased.
Bureau of Justice Statistics (DOJ)·
- On April 30, A New Measure of Prevalence for the National Crime Victimization Survey was released. To overcome the problems associated with the old procedure, a new method of estimating prevalence will be implemented, starting with the Criminal Victimization, 2023 report. This report describes that new method. It discusses the limitations of the old prevalence measure first, followed by guiding principles for the new prevalence measure. A description of the new method is third, followed by a comparison of estimates using both methods.
- On April 25, Crimes Involving Juveniles, 1993-2022 was released. This statistical brief presents findings on crimes involving juveniles, both as victims and as alleged or perceived offenders. It includes (1) rates of nonfatal violent victimization by age, (2) the number of deaths of juveniles due to homicide, (3) the percentage of nonfatal violent incidents in which the offender was perceived to be a juvenile, and (4) the percentage of persons arrested who were juveniles.
Bureau of Justice Statistics (DOJ)
- On April 30, Employment Cost Index – March 2024 was released. Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 1.2 percent, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month period ending in March 2024. Wages and salaries increased 1.1 percent and benefit costs increased 1.1 percent from December 2023. Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 4.2 percent for the 12-month period ending in March 2024 and increased 4.8 percent in March 2023. Wages and salaries increased 4.4 percent for the 12-month period ending in March 2024 and increased 5.0 percent for the 12-month period ending in March 2023. Benefit costs increased 3.7 percent over the year and increased 4.5 percent for the 12-month period ending in March 2023.
- On April 25, Productivity and Costs by Industry – Manufacturing and Mining 2023 was released. Labor productivity declines were widespread among manufacturing industries in 2023, with decreases in 60 of the 86 four-digit NAICS manufacturing industries. Of the 51 industries in durable manufacturing, 41 had productivity decreases in 2023 led by a decline of 15.2 percent in the motor vehicle bodies and trailers manufacturing industry. Although not as widespread compared to durable goods, productivity declined in 19 of 35 nondurable goods manufacturing industries led by a 9.4-percent decline in the basic chemicals industry. Productivity fell in 3 of the 5 mining industries in 2023 with the greatest decrease occurring in the support activities for mining industry (-5.5 percent).
Bureau of Transportation Statistics (DOT)
- On April 19, Travel Patterns of Americans with Disabilities, 2022 was released. An estimated 18.6 million people reported travel-limiting disabilities in 2022; down by a statistically significant amount from 25.5 million in 2017. In 2022, 40.2 percent of persons age 18 to 64 with travel-limiting disabilities and 57.1 of persons age 65 and over with travel-limiting disabilities stayed at home on the travel day surveyed compared to 34.1 and 44.7 percent, respectively, in 2017.
- On April 3, it was reported that transportation contributed 6.7% to U.S. GDP. Transportation services (for-hire, in-house, and household) contributed $1.7 trillion (6.7%) to an enhanced U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) of $26.2 trillion in 2022—as measured by the BTS Transportation Satellite Accounts (TSAs).
Census Bureau (DOC)
- On April 25, data from the 2022 Annual Survey of School System Finances was released. Nationally, public school spending per student rose 8.9% from $14,358 in FY 2021 to $15,633 in FY 2022. This represents the largest percentage increase in public school spending per pupil in the 50 states and the District of Columbia in over 20 years.
- On April 23, the 2022 Congressional Election Voting Report was released. The voter registration rate (69.1%) for the 2022 congressional election was the highest registration rate of a midterm election in 30 years. However, the voter turnout rate (52.2%) was lower than in the 2018 (53.4%) midterm elections. Non-Hispanic White population those with a bachelor’s degree or higher education, and those 65 years or older were each overrepresented among voters in 2022. The 65 years or older group was overrepresented among voters by 6.7 percentage points, comprising 30.4% of all voters and 23.8% of the CVAP, while voters ages 18 to 29 were underrepresented by 7.9 percentage points, comprising 11.7% of all voters and 19.6% of the CVAP.
Economic Research Service (USDA)
- On April 18, United States and Global Macroeconomic Projections to 2033 were released. Real GDP is projected to grow over the next decade at an average annual rate of 2.8 percent globally and 2.1 percent in the United States. In per capita terms, real GDP per capita is projected to grow over the next decade at an average annual rate of 1.9 percent globally and 1.3 percent in the United States. Regionally, several environmental concerns and the real estate crisis in China may affect the growth prospects of many countries.
- On April 11, Comparing Food Insecurity Among the US Military and Civilian Adult Populations was released. The prevalence of food insecurity and very low food security was generally higher among military subpopulations, when defined by demographics (e.g., gender, age, race and ethnicity, marital status, parental status (children or not), spouse’s employment status, and region of residence) and compared with the corresponding demographically equivalent civilian adult subpopulations in 2018 and 2020. In 2018 and 2020, military food insecurity was more prevalent among active duty service members who were between the ages of 17 and 25, with a high school diploma (or equivalent) or some college education, identifying as Hispanic or from other non-Hispanic races, and with an unemployed spouse.
Energy Information Administration (DOE)
- On April 29, the Russia Country Analysis Brief was released. Russia was the world’s second-highest dry natural gas producer and exporter, the third-highest crude oil and condensate producer, and the third-highest coal exporter in 2022. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine that same year, G7 economies, the EU, and other countries, began imposing sanctions including targeted measures on Russia’s energy sector. These sanctions expedited a shift in Russia’s trade toward Asia, relying more heavily on seaborne shipments because of limited eastbound rail and pipeline infrastructure. The Russian government is prioritizing liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure development, to better reach markets not readily accessible via pipeline, despite sanctions related to LNG technology and financing.
- On April 25, US Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions, 2023 was released. U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions decreased slightly in 2023 compared to 2022. Although emissions decreased across many economic sectors, more than 80% of U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions reductions in 2023 occurred in the electric power sector. These reductions were caused largely by reduced coal-fired electricity generation, as natural gas and solar power made up a larger portion of the generation mix. This change in the generation mix away from coal, which has the highest carbon intensity among fossil fuels, decreased electric power sector CO2 emissions by 7% relative to 2022.
National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA)
- On April 19 NASS announced the retirement of Hubert Hamer as Administrator. ASS’s Associate Administrator, Joseph L. Parsons, has assumed the role of Acting Administrator, and beginning May 1, Joseph J. Prusacki, NASS’s National Operations Division Director, will assume the role of Acting Associate Administrator. “As I reflect on my career at NASS, I am mindful of many accomplishments and milestones we have collectively achieved to support our mission,” said Hamer. “NASS is a unique organization with exceptional employees dedicated to providing essential data for our data users. I have been fortunate to engage our broad data user community and hear their appreciation for the data products that we produce and our outstanding customer service. It has been an honor to serve as your colleague through the years and I will cherish the wonderful memories. It will be the people and our relationships that I will miss. It is hard to believe the years have gone so quickly, which indicates to me that I never lost my curiosity and passion for public service. I am eager to start a new chapter with time to reflect on how to squeeze the most joy and happiness out of this new endeavor called retirement.”
- On April 9, it was announced that NASS is canceling the July Cattle report and discontinuing the Cotton Objective Yield Survey, as well as all County Estimates for Crops and Livestock beginning with the 2024 production year. The decision to discontinue these surveys and reports was not made lightly, but was necessary, given appropriated budget levels. NASS has and will continue to review its estimating programs using criteria focused on the needs of its mission and customers to prioritize budget decisions.
National Center for Education Statistics (IES)
- On April 30, Enrollment and Employees in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2019; and Financial Statistics and Academic Libraries, Fiscal Year 2019 web tables were released. This set of web tables presents the final data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) spring 2020 data collection, which includes fully edited and imputed data findings plus any revised data that was reported in the succeeding year. Data topics covered in these tables include enrollment, finance and academic libraries.
- On April 25, A Retrospective Look at US Education Statistics was released. This commemorative guide provides an overview of the history and use of federal education statistics that have been collected and reported by the federal education statistics agency (now the National Center for Education Statistics) since 1868. The “statistical profiles” in this report use updated historical trend data from 120 Years of American Education: A Statistical Portrait to offer an in-depth look at what each statistic measures, how it has been collected over the years, and what the data reveal about the statistic.
National Center for Health Statistics (CDC)
- On April 26, Dental Care Among Adults Age 65 and Older: United States, 2022 was released. In 2022, 63.7% of adults age 65 and older had a dental visit in the past 12 months, and women (64.9%) were more likely than men (62.3%) to have had a dental visit. Among older adults, dental visits generally increased with increasing family income. Dental visits were higher among older adults with dental coverage (69.6%) compared with those without dental coverage (56.4%).
- On April 24, Infertility and Impaired Fecundity in Women and Men in the United States, 2015–2019 was released. The percentage of women ages 15–44 who had impaired fecundity did not change between 2011–2015 and 2015–2019. The percentage of married women with impaired fecundity also remained stable over this time period. Among all women, 13.4% of women ages 15–49 and 15.4% of women ages 25–49 had impaired fecundity in 2015–2019. The percentage of married women ages 15–44 who were infertile rose from 2011–2015 (6.7%) to 2015–2019 (8.7%).
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NSF)
- On April 22, Production and Trade of Knowledge and Technology-Intensive Industries was released. In 2021, the United States exported $193 billion in KTI-related services, with $91 billion in imports, for a trade surplus of $102 billion in these services. Global supply chains mean that exports from a given country often include value from domestic production and from imported inputs. For the United States, the share of domestic content in its gross exports across all industries is much larger than the share of foreign content, fluctuating between 84% and 90% since 2007.
- On April 11, International Collaboration in Selected Critical and Emerging Fields: COVID-19 and Artificial Intelligence was released. Between 2003 and 2022, the number of published articles in AI grew faster relative to the number of articles in computer science, due in part to the newness of the AI field compared with the more established field of computer science. AI articles worldwide grew by 1,100% during this period, reaching 123,402 articles in 2022, or 4% of all S&E publications globally, compared with 290% growth in computer science articles.
Statistics of Income (IRS)
- On April 25, Tax Year 2022 Individual Income Tax Returns Preliminary Data was released. These data represent estimates of income and tax items based on a sample of individual income tax returns filed between January and late September of a given processing year. These returns are then weighted to represent a full year of taxpayer reporting. In general, some of the returns processed during the remainder of the year may have somewhat different characteristics compared to these earlier ones. Therefore, these preliminary data are best utilized by comparisons made to the preliminary estimates from the prior year. When available, the estimates from the complete year data should be used in place of the preliminary data.
Federal Register Notices
There were 31 federal register notices posted by federal statistical agencies from March 26, 2024 to April 25, 2024. Links to each of these notices are organized by agency below.
Bureau of Economic Analysis (DOC) – 2 New Notices
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 4/10/2024 | Bureau of Economic Analysis Advisory Committee Meeting | Link |
| 4/10/2024 | Federal Economic Statistics Advisory Committee Meeting | Link |
Bureau of Justice Statistics (DOJ) – 7 New Notices
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 4/24/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Reinstatement of a Previously Approved Collection; Capital Punishment Report of Inmates Under Sentence of Death | Link |
| 4/19/2024 | Definition of “Engaged in the Business” as a Dealer in Firearms | Link |
| 4/9/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; New Collection; Application for Remission of Financial Penalties | Link |
| 4/2/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Extension of a Previously Approved Collection; Drug Use Statement | Link |
| 3/26/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Extension of a Previously Approved Collection; Semi-Annual Progress Report for the Grants to Indian Tribal Governments Program (Tribal Governments Program) | Link |
| 3/26/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Extension of a Previously Approved Collection; Semi-Annual Progress Report for Grantees From the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, Stalking, and Child Abuse Enforcement Assistance Program | Link |
| 3/26/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Extension of a Previously Approved Collection; Firearm Inquiry Statistics (FIST) Program | Link |
Bureau of Labor Statistics (DOL) – 3 New Notices
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 4/24/2024 | Technical Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting and Agenda | Link |
| 4/24/2024 | Data Users Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting and Agenda | Link |
| 4/17/2024 | Information Collection Activities; Comment Request | Link |
Bureau of Transportation Statistics (DOT) – No New Notices
Census Bureau (DOC) – 7 New Notices
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 4/15/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Current Population Survey (CPS) Voting and Registration Supplement | Link |
| 4/15/2024 | Census Bureau National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations | Link |
| 4/15/2024 | National Advisory Committee | Link |
| 4/8/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Census Household Panel Topical 7, Topical 8, and Topical 9 Operations | Link |
| 4/8/2024 | Bureau of the Census Scientific Advisory Committee | Link |
| 3/29/2024 | Estimates of the Voting-Age Population for 2023 | Link |
| 3/27/2024 | 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 |
Economic Research Service (USDA) – 1 New Notice
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 3/28/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request | Link |
Energy Information Administration (DOE) – 1 New Notice
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 4/16/2024 | Agency Information Collection Proposed Extension | Link |
National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA) – 3 New Notices
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 4/16/2024 | Notice of Intent To Request Revision and Extension of a Currently Approved Information Collection – Cost of Pollination Survey | Link |
| 4/11/2024 | Notice of Intent To Seek Approval To Revise and Extend a Currently Approved Information Collection – – Egg, Chicken, and Turkey Surveys | Link |
| 4/11/2024 | Notice of Intent To Seek Approval To Revise and Extend a Currently Approved Information Collection – Mink Survey | Link |
National Center for Education Statistics (DOEd) – 5 New Notices
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 4/25/2024 | Request for Information (RFI) Regarding Developing a Postsecondary Student Success Award Program for Institutions of Higher Education | Link |
| 4/17/2024 | Student Debt Relief for the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program (Direct Loans), the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program, the Federal Perkins Loan (Perkins) Program, and the Health Education Assistance Loan (HEAL) Program | Link |
| 4/16/2024 | Executive Committee Meeting | Link |
| 4/9/2024 | Applications for New Awards; Disability Innovation Fund-Creating a 21st Century Workforce of Youth and Adults With Disabilities Through the Transformation of Education, Career, and Competitive Integrated Employment Model Demonstration Project | Link |
| 3/28/2024 | State Personnel Development Grants | Link |
National Center for Health Statistics (HHS) – 1 New Notice
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 4/5/2024 | Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations – Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Program Reporting System | 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) – 1 New Notice
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 3/29/2024 | Disclosures of Return Information Reflected on Returns to Officers and Employees of the Department of Commerce, Including the Bureau of the Census, for Certain Statistical Purposes and Related Activities | Link |