PRB

In the past nine months, many public datasets have been altered or removed, thousands of statistical agency staff have retired or been laid off, and the accuracy of trusted federal statistics has been questioned and politicized.

The strain on taxpayer-funded public data has been demoralizing—not just for the policymakers, researchers, businesses, and others who rely on federal statistics, but for the civil servants who protect them from misuse. The recent cancellation of a key survey measuring hunger in America was particularly alarming. But there’s one upside to this state of affairs: It’s mobilizing people who care about federal data to act.

Federal data stakeholders have been working hard to safeguard data by archiving thousands of at-risk federal datasets, tracking changes to federal datasets, and documenting the value of federal data. PRB also launched a Federal Data Forum for people to share information about the latest threats to public data and how organizations and individuals can help. More than 600 concerned data users have joined the forum since May.

Despite these efforts, many people don’t appreciate federal statistics and how important they are in our daily lives. Some examples:

• Fundamental statistics on the health of the U.S. economy, like the monthly unemployment rate, depend on household interviews that have been conducted by the federal government since the 1940s.
• Companies rely on accurate data from the U.S. Census Bureau to decide where to open stores, build housing, and invest in infrastructure.
• Undercounts of young children matter because they result in communities not receiving their fair share of federal resources to support programs such as Head Start and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which serve children and families with low incomes.
• Weather forecasts and disaster planning depend on federal data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Millions of people rely on federal statistics but few step up to defend them. So, how can data users give public data a voice? Here are five things you can do:

1. Learn to love the Federal Register.

GovInfo describes the Federal Register as “the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents.” But for our purposes, think of it as the place where calls for public comment get posted—including proposed changes to federal data collections—and you can make your voice heard.

While the federal government may seem like a bureaucratic morass to anyone outside of Washington, the truth is that federal agency staff are eager for public input.

Learn about opportunities to provide input on the America’s Data Index website.

2. Give a federal worker a (virtual) hug.

Most of the people who produce federal statistics care deeply about their mission. But right now, they’re under strain because of layoffs, hiring freezes, budget uncertainty, and the longest government shutdown in the country’s history. Some agencies are operating in “survival mode,” with critical functions scaled back because of limited resources.

Letting these public servants suffer quietly reinforces narratives that federal workers are wasting taxpayer dollars. So, send your federal colleagues a note of thanks (you can often find them on social media) to remind them that their work matters.

3. Get your local representative on board.

Many policymakers don’t realize how many of their state’s programs depend on accurate data from the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Agriculture, and other agencies. Most of the 13 statistical agencies are small and relatively inexpensive to operate—in combination, they accounted for 0.2% of the $1.7 trillion federal budget in 2023—but are easy targets for budget cuts because they’re mostly invisible to the public.

Tell your representative that every dollar invested in high-quality federal statistics helps your local community receive the funding it needs, including for schools, health care, and infrastructure.

Want to learn more about why federal data matter? A new report by the American Statistical Association, “The Nation’s Data at Risk,” has the information you need.

4. Share your data story.

Data users from businesses, planning organizations, and state and local governments are some of the most persuasive champions for public data. If it’s just academic researchers and nonprofit leaders defending federal statistics, it’s easier to dismiss the system as serving narrow interests. But when businesses and communities say, “We depend on these data to make money and create jobs,” the issue reaches a broader, more bipartisan audience.

Visit America’s Essential Data to learn how to tell your data story.

5. Find your data tribe and get connected.

At PRB, the American Community Survey (ACS) Data Users Group that we’d been running since 2013 recently shut down due to federal budget cuts. Formal advisory group meetings at the Census Bureau and many other agencies have also been cancelled. But there are many other ways to connect with fellow data users:

• Join PRB’s Federal Data Forum and join PRB’s mailing list.
• Sign up for the Association of Public Data Users newsletter and join APDU for free this year using code 2025FREE at checkout. (We’d also love new, paying members if you can swing it.)
• Consider starting a new group with other federal data stakeholders in your community. Think big and outside your usual circles: Professional associations, local universities, and civic data or open-government groups are good places to start.
• Learn other ways to get involved on the Data Rescue Project website.

Federal statistics are the backbone of decision-making, from local budgets to national policy. When these data are weakened or ignored, communities suffer and decisions are based on anecdotal evidence—or worse, no evidence at all. But even small actions, taken together, can help strengthen the case for the importance of public data to our shared future.