Nov 21 -- The Census Bureau, Department of Commerce, invites public comment by January 22, 2024 regarding the proposed extension of the State and Local Government Finance Collections, and Public Employment and Payroll Collections.
The Census Bureau plans to request an extension of the clearance for the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll and the Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances. There are no proposed changes since the last approved clearance. The Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll collects state and local government data by function for full-time and part-time employees and payroll. The Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances collect state and local government finance data including government revenue, expenditure, debt, assets, and pension systems. Data are collected for all agencies, departments, and institutions of the fifty state governments and for a sample of all local governments (counties, municipalities, townships, and special districts). Data for school districts are collected under a separate survey and are not included here.
In years ending with 2 and 7 this collection is conducted as a part of the Census of Governments. There is no difference in content collected between a Census of Governments year and non-Census year. The only difference is that in non-Census years, we only collect from a sample of the universe of state and local governments, whereas during a Census of Governments year the entire universe is collected. The upcoming three years of this clearance extension will cover the collections for fiscal years of 2023, 2024, and 2025, all of which are non-Census years.
The data are released as part of the State and Local Government Finance and Public Employment & Payroll statistical series. The collections also produce individual data products that focus on state governments, local governments, and public pensions in greater detail than the combined financial and employment series as a by-product of their collections for the combined data series. The Census Bureau provides these data to the Bureau of Economic Analysis to develop the public sector components of the National Income and Product Accounts and for constructing the functional payrolls in the public sector of the Gross Domestic Product, payroll being the single largest component of current operations. The Census Bureau also provides these data to the Federal Reserve Board for use in the Flow of Funds Accounts. Other Federal agencies that make use of the data include the Council of Economic Advisers, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Government Accountability Office, and the Department of Justice. State and local governments and related organizations, public policy groups, public interest groups, private research organizations, and private sector businesses also use these data.
Statistics are produced as data files in electronic formats published to the Census website.
These surveys use multiple modes for data collection with the main collection method being internet data collection with a mailed invitation, followed by email, mail, and telephone follow-ups. Other methods used to collect data and maximize response include collecting state and local government data through administrative records such as submitted financial audits, state financial reports, and annual comprehensive financial reports via electronic or mailed files and/or records.
The Census Bureau developed central collection agreements with state and large local government officials to collect the data from their dependent agencies and report to the Census Bureau as a central respondent. These arrangements eliminate the need for a mail invitation for approximately 5,900 governmental units in a sample year and 32,000 during the year of the Census of Governments. The arrangements reduce burden by greatly decreasing the number of respondents who must complete an on-line response as the data are acquired from a centralized source instead of multiple sources.
Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances:
https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/gov-finances.html
Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (ASPEP):
https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/apes.html
Draft data collection instruments available at
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/qaenkjyj2lvg9cb6wml2j/redrafticrrequestannualsurveysofslgovtfinances.zip?rlkey=fbe151w6coexq6vx9lby8o9hy&dl=0
Draft technical documentation requested from Census by AEAStat.
FRN:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2023-25733