Overview of FY2020 Appropriations for the Census Bureau
Updated January 6, 2020
Overview of FY2020 Appropriations for the Census Bureau
Introduction
Periodic Censuses and Programs
This In Focus presents an overview of FY2020
Under the FY2020 request, Periodic Censuses and
discretionary budget authority for the Census Bureau,
Programs was to receive $5,885.4 million, $2,334.0 million
including the FY2020 budget request, related congressional
(65.7%) above the FY2019-enacted $3,551.4 million, and
actions, and comparisons with FY2019 funding. As a
95.7% of the Census Bureau’s total FY2020 request, mainly
Department of Commerce (DOC) agency, the bureau is
to fund the 2020 decennial census. About $3.6 million of
funded through the Departments of Commerce and Justice,
the amount for PCP was to be transferred to the DOC
Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations bills.
Office of Inspector General (OIG) for continuing bureau
oversight. Four major programs under PCP, plus the
FY2020 Budget Request
bureau’s critical information technology initiative, are
The Administration’s $6,149.4 million FY2020 budget
discussed below.
request for the Census Bureau was $2,328.0 million
(60.9%) above the $3,821.4 million appropriated for
2020 Decennial Census
FY2019. The FY2020 request was divided between the
The decennial census is the bureau’s largest, most costly
bureau’s two major accounts, Current Surveys and
undertaking. Article I, Section 2, clause 3 of the U.S.
Programs, and Periodic Censuses and Programs (PCP).
Constitution, as amended by Section 2 of the 14th
Amendment, requires a population count every 10 years, to
Current Surveys and Programs
apportion seats in the House of Representatives. The data
The FY2020 request for Current Surveys and Programs was
also are used to redraw state congressional and legislative
$264.0 million, $6.0 million (2.2%) below the $270.0
districts and, with census-related American Community
million enacted for FY2019. Under this account are Current
Survey (ACS) data and intercensal estimates, in formulas to
Economic Statistics and Current Demographic Statistics.
determine states’ and localities’ annual shares of federal
funds, estimated at $675 billion to about $1.5 trillion.
Current Economic Statistics
Current Economic Statistics include business, construction,
The FY2020 request for the census was $5,297.0 million.
manufacturing, general economic, foreign trade, and
The budget justification stated that another $1,020.0 million
government statistics that, as the FY2020 budget
in prior-year funds was to “be available,” plus $83.3 million
justification for the Census Bureau stated, “provide critical
in information technology support through the bureau’s
information” about the U.S. economy and underlie key
new Census Enterprise Data Collection and Processing
economic indicators like gross domestic product (GDP).
system (CEDCaP), totaling $6,400.3 million in FY2020 to
support the census. The total, while not strictly comparable
The request for Current Economic Statistics in FY2020 was
to the $3,015.1 million approved in the FY2019 spending
$185.3 million, $411,000 (0.2%) above the $184.9 million
plan, exceeded this figure by $3,385.1 million (112.3%) and
approved in the bureau’s FY2019 spending plan.
reflected the peak year for census expenses.
Current Demographic Statistics
American Community Survey
Current Demographic Statistics include those from
The ACS, which the bureau implemented nationwide in
household surveys like the Survey of Income and Program
2005 and 2006, is the replacement for the decennial census
Participation (SIPP) and the Current Population Survey
long form that, from 1940 to 2000, collected detailed
(CPS), which is undertaken jointly by the Census Bureau
socioeconomic and housing data from a sample of U.S.
and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is two-thirds funded
residents. Sent monthly to small population samples, the
by BLS, and provides monthly unemployment rates;
ACS covers more than 3.5 million households yearly, in
analyses of population and housing characteristics, as in the
every U.S. county and the District of Columbia. The
Current Population Reports, which are based on CPS and
monthly data are aggregated to produce new estimates
other data and are the official source of U.S. income and
every year for areas with at least 65,000 people and every
poverty statistics; the Housing Vacancy Survey; intercensal
five years for areas from the most populous to those with
demographic and housing unit estimates for the total United
fewer than 20,000 people. According to the budget
States and subnational geographic levels; and population
justification, the bureau releases more than 11 billion ACS
projections into the future.
estimates annually on more than 40 “social, demographic,
housing, and economic” topics. The ACS “is the only
The $78.7 million FY2020 Current Demographic Statistics
source” of data on “many of these topics for rural areas and
request was $6.4 million (7.5%) less than the $85.1 million
small populations.” Similarly, the Puerto Rico Community
the FY2019 spending plan approved and was consistent
Survey, is conducted across 78 county-equivalents there.
with a proposed cut in the SIPP sample size.
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Overview of FY2020 Appropriations for the Census Bureau
The FY2020 request for the ACS was $218.0 million, $6.6
For CEDCaP in FY2020, the request was $83.3 million,
million (3.1%) above the $211.4 million the FY2019
$4.4 million (5.6%) above the $78.8 million approved in the
spending plan approved. The budget justification noted that
FY2019 spending plan.
“an additional $5.0 million in budgetary resources” for the
ACS was to “be derived from recoveries of prior year
Congressional Action
obligations from programs across” the PCP account.
House
Economic Census
On June 25, 2019, the House passed H.R. 3055, an FY2020
The economic census originated when, the Census Bureau
consolidated appropriations bill. Division A was to fund
has written, “Congress responded to a rapid increase in
CJS, along with several other departments and agencies.
industrial activity” by instructing 1810 census enumerators
The House approved $8,450.0 million for the Census
to “‘take an account of the several manufacturing
Bureau in FY2020, $4,628.6 million (121.1%) more than
establishments and their manufactures’” under their
the FY2019-enacted amount and $2,300.6 million (37.4%)
purview. The modern economic census occurs every five
above the FY2020 request. Current Surveys and Programs
years. It is, the budget justification stated, “the foundation”
was to receive $275.0 million, $5.0 million (1.9%) more
for measuring “U.S. businesses and their economic impact.”
than in FY2019 and $11.0 million (4.2%) over the FY2020
Economic census and related statistics provided to the
request. The House approved $8,175.0 million for Periodic
Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) set “the baseline” for
Censuses and Programs, “to remain available until
GDP and other principal economic indicators.
September 30, 2022.” Of this amount, $675.0 million was
to be for “collecting, compiling, analyzing, preparing, and
During FY2020, 2017 Economic Census data will continue
publishing” PCP statistics “provided for by law”; as
being readied for release, and 2022 census planning will
requested in the budget proposal, about $3.6 million of the
begin. The budget justification noted that “funding
appropriation was to be transferred to the DOC OIG for
constraints throughout the economic census cycle” caused
bureau oversight. (S. 2584; H.R. 3055, as amended and
the bureau “to prioritize data” needed by” BEA to calculate
passed by the Senate; and the final FY2020 act, H.R. 1158,
GDP and other economic indicators. As “resources permit,
all discussed below, included this transfer.) The remaining
the program may release limited data publicly.”
$7,500.0 million for PCP was to be new 2020 census
budget authority. The $8,175.0 million PCP total was
The $127.6 million FY2020 economic census request was
$4,623.6 million (130.2%) above the FY2019-enacted level
$28.1 million (28.3%) more than the $99.5 million the
and $2,289.6 million (38.9%) over the FY2020 request.
FY2019 spending plan approved. The budget justification
noted that, for the economic census and census of
Senate
governments together, “an additional $31.4 million in
On September 26, 2019, the Senate Appropriations
budgetary resources” was to “be derived from recoveries of
Committee reported S. 2584, an FY2020 CJS
prior year obligations from programs across” the PCP
appropriations bill, with $7,558.3 million for the Census
account.
Bureau, $3,736.9 million (97.8%) more than for FY2019,
$1,408.9 million (22.9%) above the FY2020 request, and
Census of Governments
$891.7 million (10.6%) less than the House approved.
The census of governments, conducted since 1957, is the
Current Surveys and Programs was to receive $274.0
bureau’s other major quinquennial census. The budget
million, $4.0 million (1.5%) over the FY2019-enacted
justification called this census “the primary source of facts
amount, $10.0 million (3.8%) above the FY2020 request,
about the structure and function of the public sector of the
and $1.0 million (0.4%) less than the House approved. The
U.S. economy,” which accounts for about 12% of GDP and
$7,284.3 million the committee recommended for PCP
15% of the civilian labor force.
included $6,696.0 million for the 2020 census. The PCP
total, “to remain available until September 30, 2021,”
In FY2020, the bureau will continue processing and
exceeded the FY2019-enacted amount by $3,732.9 million
disseminating the finance components of the 2017 Census
(105.1%), exceeded the FY2020 request by $1,398.9
of Governments, and begin reengineering the 2022 census
million (23.8%), and was $890.7 million (10.9%) below
to feature all-electronic responses and greater reliance on
what the House approved. The full Senate passed H.R.
administrative records to reduce respondent burden.
3055, as amended, on October 31, 2019, approving the
same amounts for the Census Bureau as reported in S. 2584.
The $12.0 million FY2020 census of governments request
Final Action
exceeded the $8.8 million FY2019 spending plan amount
H.R. 1158, P.L. 116-93, the Consolidated Appropriations
by $3.2 million (36.0%).
Act, 2020, became law on December 20, 2019. Division B,
which funded the CJS entities, provided the same amounts
Census Enterprise Data Collection and Processing
for the Census Bureau, Current Surveys and Programs,
(CEDCaP) Program
PCP, and the 2020 census as reported in S. 2584.
According to the budget justification, CEDCaP will provide
the “scaled and secured” data collection and processing
systems that will “underpin” the 2020 census. The peak
Jennifer D. Williams, Specialist in American National
census operations to be supported include capturing data
Government
from paper census forms, making possible the submission
IF11310
of census responses online and by telephone, conducting
field operations, and providing “workload control.”
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Overview of FY2020 Appropriations for the Census Bureau
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