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. Registration is now open and the Early bird rate of $300 ends on September 30. Sponsorships for the conference are available for purchase at fcsmconf.org.
COPAFS Director’s Blog
The first installment of the COPAFS Director’s Blog is now online. This will be a space to post thoughts about the current state of our statistical system and give a little deeper dive into certain issues. The first blog is focused on the news we learned at the June Quarterly Meeting about the proposed sample size reduction to the Current Population Survey.
The Nation’s Data at Risk
My colleague and friend at the American Statistical Association, Steve Pierson, led a group effort to produce a report on the current state of the federal statistical agencies. The report was published on July 9 is available online. As the title subtly suggests, the state of our federal statistical agencies is not a healthy one, making the efforts of all of us who care about the key metrics that guide US policy and measure critical functions of our society even more important.
Upcoming Events
COPAFS Quarterly Meeting: September 6
The next Quarterly Meeting will be held on Friday, September 6, 2024. Details on the agenda will be coming soon.
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 July 26, Personal Income and Outlays, June 2024 was released. Personal income increased $50.4 billion (0.2 percent at a monthly rate) in June. Disposable personal income (DPI), personal income less personal current taxes, increased $37.7 billion (0.2 percent) and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $57.6 billion (0.3 percent).
- On July 12, New Foreign Direct Investment in the United States, 2023 was released. Expenditures by foreign direct investors to acquire, establish, or expand U.S. businesses totaled $148.8 billion in 2023. Expenditures decreased $57.4 billion, or 28 percent, from $206.2 billion (revised) in 2022 and were below the annual average of $265.6 billion for 2014–2022. As in previous years, acquisitions of existing U.S. businesses accounted for most of the expenditures.
Bureau of Justice Statistics (DOJ)
- On July 31, Tribal Crime Data Collection Activities, 2024 was released. BJS used a tribal-centered approach to develop and implement the tribal crime data collection system mandated by TLOA. In spring 2024, a total of 258 entities participated in BJS tribal crime and justice data consultation with tribes and other stakeholders, representing 120 different tribal nations or Alaskan villages, 27 tribal law enforcement agencies, 46 tribal courts, and 10 federal agencies across 33 states and the District of Columbia.
- On July 25, the Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2023 and Indicator 2: Incidence of Nonfatal Victimization at School and Away from School was released. At school, the nonfatal criminal victimization rate (including theft and violent victimization) for students ages 12–18 decreased between 2012 and 2022 (from 52 to 22 victimizations per 1,000 students). The percentage of students ages 12–18 who reported being bullied during school was lower in 2021–22 than in 2010–11 (19 vs. 28 percent). Lower percentages of public school teachers in 2020–21 than in 2011–12 reported being threatened with injury by a student from their school (6 vs. 10 percent) or being physically attacked by a student from their school (4 vs. 6 percent).
Bureau of Labor Statistics (DOL)
- On July 30, Job Openings and Labor Turnover (JOLTs) – June 2024 was released. The number of job openings was unchanged at 8.2 million on the last business day of June. Over the month, both the number of hires and total separations were little changed at 5.3 million and 5.1 million, respectively. Within separations, quits (3.3 million) and layoffs and discharges (1.5 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.
- On July 24, Business Employment Dynamics – Fourth Quarter 2023 was released. From September 2023 to December 2023, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments were 7.8 million, an increase of 264,000 jobs from the previous quarter. Over this period, gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 7.5 million, a decrease of 272,000 jobs from the previous quarter. The difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment gain of 344,000 jobs in the private sector during the fourth quarter of 2023.
Bureau of Transportation Statistics (DOT)
- On July 18, the Air Travel Consumer Report: April 2024 was released. For April 2024, 0.7% of flights were cancelled, lower than both the 1.7% cancellation rate for April 2023 and the 2.4% cancellation rate for pre-pandemic April 2019.
- On July 23, North American Transborder Freight: May 2024 was released. Total transborder freight came to $138.9 billion of transborder freight moved by all modes of transportation, up 2.0% compared to May 2023. Freight between the U.S. and Canada was estimated at $66.0 billion, down 2.4% from May 2023. Freight between the U.S. and Mexico totaled $73.0 billion, up 6.3% from May 2023.
Census Bureau (DOC)
- On July 31, a Disability Community Stakeholders Meeting was announced to discuss the proposed revisions of disability questions on the ACS. The meeting will take place on September 30 in the Washington, DC metro area. The Census Bureau is hosting the meeting with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the National Center for Health Statistics, the National Council on Disability, The Leadership Conference Education Fund, and the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities’ Health Task Force. The meeting will bring together federal agency staff, disability stakeholders and community representatives, data users and disability advocates.
Economic Research Service (USDA)
- On July 25, Structure, Costs and Technology Used on U.S. Dairy Farms was released. Consistent with long-term trends, the number of U.S. dairy farms has fallen (while milk production has risen), with larger dairy farms emerging that produce more milk per cow. The number of farms with fewer than 1,000 cows has fallen, while the number of farms with 1,000 or more cows has risen over the past two decades. Moderate shifts in the location of dairy farms occurred between 2002 and 2022, with Texas and Idaho gaining production share and California losing production share.
- On July 23, The Poverty Area Measures Data Product was released. High and extreme poverty area measures for single time periods are produced to meet stakeholder demand for greater flexibility in defining poverty areas and updated annually to meet demand for the most current data. A new poverty area concept—enduring poverty—emerged after evaluating the existing USDA, ERS persistent poverty area measure and exploratory data analysis. The enduring poverty area measure expands the 30-year timeframe of the persistent poverty area measure to capture the entrenchment of poverty in an area as far back as available data allow.
Energy Information Administration (DOE)
- On July 25, the latest Wholesale Electricity and Natural Gas Market Data was released. The market data are republished, with permission, from data collected by the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) and are updated biweekly. Currently, electricity products can be traded at more than two dozen hubs and delivery points in North America, and natural gas products can be traded at more than 120 hubs. The data posted under EIA’s agreement with ICE represent eight major electricity hubs and their corresponding natural gas trading hubs.
- On July 17, the Monthly Solar Photovoltaic Module Shipments Report was released. Beginning in January 2017, we required some of the respondents for the annual survey Form EIA-63B, Photovoltaic Module Shipments Report, to report monthly data. The subset of respondents now must report monthly accounts for about 90% of photovoltaic (PV) activity in the United States, based on 2021 data.
National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA)
- On July 24, the 2022 Census of Agriculture Watersheds Report was released. Watersheds is the first of six Subject Series reports to be released for this Census of Agriculture. The Watersheds report breaks down select ag census data – including farms, land in farms, land use and practices, fertilizer and chemical use, and select commodities – by the 6-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (watershed) boundaries, providing data users yet another way to review and compare ag census information.
National Center for Education Statistics (IES)
- On July 25, the Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2023 was released. At school, the nonfatal criminal victimization rate (including theft and violent victimization) for students ages 12–18 decreased between 2012 and 2022 (from 52 to 22 victimizations per 1,000 students). The percentage of students ages 12–18 who reported being bullied during school was lower in 2021–22 than in 2010–11 (19 vs. 28 percent). Lower percentages of public school teachers in 2020–21 than in 2011–12 reported being threatened with injury by a student from their school (6 vs. 10 percent) or being physically attacked by a student from their school (4 vs. 6 percent).
- On July 17, Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary School Districts: School Year 2021-2022 was released. This First Look report presents data on public elementary and secondary education revenues and expenditures at the local education agency (LEA) or school district level for fiscal year (FY) 2022. Specifically, this report includes the following types of school district finance data: 1) revenue, current expenditure, and capital outlay expenditure totals; 2) revenues by source; 3) current expenditures by function and object; 4) revenues and current expenditures per pupil; and 5) revenues and expenditures from COVID-19 Federal Assistance Funds.
National Center for Health Statistics (CDC)
- On July 31, Walking for Leisure and Transportation Among Adults: United States, 2022 was released. In 2022, 58.7% of adults walked for leisure in the past 7 days, with a higher prevalence among Asian non-Hispanic adults than Black non-Hispanic, other and multiple-race non-Hispanic, and Hispanic adults. Walking for leisure increased with increasing family income and education level. In 2022, 16.2% of adults walked for transportation; men (17.3%) were more likely than women (15.0%) to walk for transportation.
- On July 24, Adult Day Services Center Participant Characteristics: United States, 2022 was released. In 2022, 58% of adult day services center participants were female, 40% were White non-Hispanic, and 32% were younger than age 65. Most adult day services center participants were Medicaid users. About 61% of adult day services center participants needed assistance with three to six activities of daily living.
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NSF)
- On July 22, FY2022 Federal Science and Engineering Support to Selected Types of Minority-Serving Institutions was released. Federal agency funding to higher education institutions for science and engineering (S&E) support is composed of five types of activities: research and experimental development (R&D); R&D plant; facilities and equipment for instruction in S&E; fellowships, traineeships, and training grants (FTTGs); and other general support for S&E. Across all types of higher education institutions, obligations for R&D make up the largest component of S&E support (93%).
- On July 1, it was reported that Federal Obligations for R&D Contracts Increased 1.8% in FY2022; Obligations for R&D Grants Increased 2.7%. In FY 2022, federal obligations for research and experimental development (R&D) totaled $190.4 billion, an increase of 0.4% from $189.6 billion in FY 2021. Federal agencies fund R&D through both intramural performers (the agencies themselves and their federally funded research and development centers) and extramural performers (businesses, higher education institutions, nonprofit institutions, state and local governments, and non-U.S. performers). In FY 2022, federal obligations for extramural performance of R&D totaled $104.3 billion, an increase of 2.2% from $102.0 billion in FY 2021. All data in this InfoBrief are presented in current dollars.
Statistics of Income (IRS)
- In July, Tax Exempt Organizations, Annual Financial Extracts, Calendar Year 2023 was released. Three new extracts of tax-exempt organizations’ financial data for Calendar Year (CY) 2023 are now available on SOI’s Tax Stats webpage. These annual extracts contain selected financial data from the Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), the Short Form Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-EZ), and the Return of Private Foundation or Section 4947(a)(1) Trust Treated as Private Foundation (Form 990-PF) processed for program administrative purposes during CY 2023.
Federal Register Notices
There were 39 federal register notices posted by federal statistical agencies from June 26, 2024 to July 25, 2024. Links to each of these notices are organized by agency below.
Bureau of Economic Analysis (DOC) – 3 New Notices
Bureau of Justice Statistics (DOJ) – 10 New Notices
Bureau of Labor Statistics (DOL) – No New Notices
Bureau of Transportation Statistics (DOT) – 1 New Notice
| Date | Notice |
|---|---|
| 7/10/2024 | Agency Information Collection: Activity Under OMB Review: Report of Financial and Operating Statistics for Large Certificated Air Carriers |
Census Bureau (DOC) – 11 New Notices
Economic Research Service (USDA) – 1 New Notice
Energy Information Administration (DOE) – 2 New Notices
National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA) – 2 New Notices
National Center for Education Statistics (DOEd) – 8 New Notices
National Center for Health Statistics (HHS) – 1 New Notice
| Date | Notice |
|---|---|
| 7/18/2024 | National Center for Health Statistics, Meeting of the ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee |
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