The Federal Statistical System: An Overview (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Aug. 19, 2024 |
| Report Number |
R48161 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Taylor R. Knoedl |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
The federal statistical system (FSS) is a decentralized institution comprising more than 100
agencies, organizational units, and programs across the U.S. government that engage in statistical
activities. Thirteen principal statistical agencies (PSAs) represent the largest proportion of the
system. The PSAs are entities whose principal missions are conducting activities related to the
collection, compilation, processing, analysis, and dissemination of data for statistical and other
purposes.
The FSS has evolved over time. The Paperwork Reduction Act, Foundations for Evidence-Based
Policymaking Act, and other laws have aimed to increase coordination among PSAs, along with other goals.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), through the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) and the
chief statistician of the United States, provides a degree of centralized coordination for agencies, units, and programs that in
general operate in an independent, decentralized manner.
The Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology (FCSM) and the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy (ICSP) also
help coordinate statistical activities. The FCSM’s purpose is to inform statistical policy-related decisionmaking and provide
technical guidance on statistical and methodological issues. The ICSP seeks to improve communication among the heads of
the PSAs, along with other statistical officials across executive agencies, and to advise the chief statistician.
OMB is responsible for developing and issuing Statistical Policy Directives (SPDs), which govern federal statistical
activities. SPDs are authorized in statute, and OMB issues them administratively on an as-needed basis. The nine currently
active SPDs cover topics such as core standards for data collection, the proper procedure for releasing statistical products to
the public, and consistent standards for collecting information about race and ethnicity.
The federal statistical system operates a number of Federal Statistical Research Data Centers (FSRDCs) that allow academic
and other researchers access to restricted-use data, such as microdata containing individual responses to federal surveys.
Additionally, FSRDCs support linkage of federal data across different agencies and surveys. In 2022, Congress authorized a
National Secure Data Service demonstration project, which aims to allow “governmentwide data linkage and access
infrastructure for statistical activities conducted for statistical purposes.”
OMB’s role in the federal statistical system and aspects of survey implementation across the system present several topics of
possible interest to Congress. Much of OMB’s role is clear in statute, but some aspects are not. For example, the steps OMB
must take to designate an agency as a PSA, as well as the specific process for introducing, revising, and implementing SPDs,
are not explicitly defined. Congress may also be interested in survey-related issues, such as declining response rates across
federal surveys, costs and benefits to using administrative records for statistical purposes, protecting the privacy of federal
survey respondents, and the effects of certain privacy-enhancing techniques on data quality.
