Overview of FY2025 Budget Request for the Census Bureau

Overview of FY2025 Budget Request for the Census Bureau

July 23, 2024
Overview of FY2025 Budget Request for the Census Bureau
Introduction
and a $93 million increase from the FY2023 actual level of
As a Department of Commerce agency, the Census Bureau
$1.485 billion.
is funded through Departments of Commerce and Justice,
Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations bills.
Current Surveys and Programs
This In Focus provides an overview of the U.S. Census
The Administration requests $367 million for the Current
Bureau’s FY2025 budget request; certain comparisons to
Surveys and Programs account in FY2025, an increase of
FY2024 enacted amounts and FY2023 actual amounts; and
about $39 million from the FY2024 enacted amount of
information about congressional action to date on the
$330 million. This account includes Current Economic
Census Bureau’s FY2025 budget. Information presented is
Statistics and Current Demographic Statistics.
drawn from the Census Bureau’s FY2025 Congressional
Budget Justification and relevant congressional documents.
Current Economic Statistics
Current Economic Statistics include business, construction,
The FY2025 request is divided between the bureau’s two
manufacturing, general economic, foreign trade, and
major accounts: Current Surveys and Programs, and
government statistics. According to the FY2025 budget
Periodic Censuses and Programs. This product provides
justification for the Census Bureau, “the data provided are
comparisons with FY2024 enacted amounts for these two
critical to understanding the structure and function of the
major Census Bureau accounts, and more detailed
Nation’s economy.” For example, this includes the Puerto
comparisons with actual FY2023 amounts for specific
Rico Economic Program and the Business Statistics
Census Bureau programs. Detailed actual FY2024 amounts
programs.
for these programs are not yet publicly available. The
FY2025 Congressional Budget Justification was finalized
The FY2025 request for Current Economic Statistics is
prior to final enacted FY2024 appropriations.
$237 million, which is a $16 million increase from the
FY2023 actual amount of $221 million.
Figure 1. Census Budget
Figure is interactive in the HTML version of this In Focus.
Current Demographic Statistics
Current Demographic Statistics includes the Survey of
Income and Program Participation (SIPP); the Current
Population Survey (CPS), which is sponsored by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Census Bureau;
and the Population Estimates Program. The SIPP is an
ongoing survey that measures distribution of government
assistance programs. The CPS provides estimates of
income, poverty, and other indicators. The Population
Estimates Program calculates population change over time.
The Census Bureau’s population estimates are used in a
variety of federal programs to determine funding
allocations or eligibility.
The FY2025 request for Current Demographic Statistics is
$131 million, which is a $21 million increase from the
FY2023 actual amount of $109 million.
Periodic Censuses and Programs
The Administration requests $1.210 billion for the Periodic
Censuses and Programs account in FY2025, a $156 million
increase from the FY2024 enacted amount of $1.054

billion. This account consists of several programs discussed
Source: Data from FY2025 Congressional Budget Justification, U.S.
below.
Census Bureau.
Decennial Census
FY2025 Budget Request
The FY2025 request for the 2030 decennial census is $399
The Biden Administration’s FY2025 budget request for the
million. The 2020 census and the 2030 census had a
combined $392 million actual level for FY2023. FY2025
Census Bureau is $1.578 billion, which is a $195 million
funding for the decennial census in part supports
increase from the FY2024 enacted level of $1.383 billion
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Overview of FY2025 Budget Request for the Census Bureau
preparation for two upcoming major field tests, scheduled
“Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of
to be conducted in 2026 and 2028.
Artificial Intelligence (AI),” by working with the National
Institute of Standards and Technology to leverage privacy-
American Community Survey
enhancing technology with the goal of protecting
The FY2025 request for the American Community Survey
respondent privacy from AI threats.
(ACS) is $256 million, an increase of $5 million from the
FY2023 actual level of $251 million. The ongoing
The FY2025 request for the EDCaDS is $269 million, a $53
collection of ACS data allows the Census Bureau to
million increase from the FY2023 actual level of $216
measure the changing demographic, social, economic, and
million.
housing characteristics of the U.S. population.
Congressional Action
Economic Census
On May 8, 2024, the House Appropriations Committee’s
The FY2025 request for the Economic Census is $158
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related
million, which is a $9 million decrease from the FY2023
Agencies held a budget hearing on the FY2025 request for
actual level of $167 million. The Economic Census,
the Department of Commerce, during which the Secretary
conducted every five years, collects statistics on businesses
of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, took questions from
in the United States to help understand the American
Members.
economy.
With respect to the Census Bureau, members of the
Census of Governments
committee asked questions relating to adding a citizenship
The FY2025 request for the Census of Governments is $15
question to the 2030 decennial census (this was considered
million, which is about a $3 million decrease from the
but not implemented for the 2020 decennial census) and the
FY2023 actual level of $17 million. The Census of
cost for nonresponse follow up on the Annual Business
Governments collects statistics on state and local
Survey (ABS).
governments across the United States.
On May 15, 2024, the Senate Committee on
Geographic Support Program
Appropriations’ Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice,
The purpose of the Census Bureau’s Geographic Support
Science, and Related Agencies held a budget hearing on the
Program (GSP) is to support and maintain the geospatial
FY2025 request for the Department of Commerce, during
infrastructure required to conduct survey data collection,
which Secretary Raimondo took questions from Members.
processing, tabulation, and dissemination across covered
regions. The Census Bureau considers the GSP to be
One member of the subcommittee posed questions to
foundational for all of its social and economic data
Secretary Raimondo regarding the surveying of noncitizens
products. Congressional district wall maps are produced by
during the decennial census and how this is included in
the GSP.
apportionment counts.
The FY2025 request for the GSP is $114 million, which is a
On July 11, 2024, the House Committee on Appropriations
$2 million increase from the FY2023 actual level of $112
reported the CJS FY2025 appropriations bill,
million.
recommending $1.354 billion for the Census Bureau, which
is $224 million below the President’s FY2025 request and
Enterprise Data Collection and Dissemination
$29 million below the FY2024 enacted amount. This
Systems (EDCaDS)
recommendation includes $300 million for the Current
The EDCaDS generally supports the data collection,
Surveys and Programs account; and $1.054 billion for the
processing, and dissemination systems that are associated
Periodic Censuses and Programs account.
with Census Bureau programs.
Taylor R. Knoedl, Analyst in American National
The FY2025 stated goal for the EDCaDS is “to provide for
Government
large cyclical systems that must be scaled for peak
operations for the Decennial Census, the Economic Census,
IF12714
and the Census of Governments.” Within this program, the
Census Bureau plans to support Executive Order 14110,

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Overview of FY2025 Budget Request for the Census Bureau

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