Newsletter Archive
-
Census 2020: Fraud or Fairly Conducted?
October 08, 2025by Beth Jarosz, Chris Dick, and Dorian CaalRead MoreRecently, Senator Banks from Indiana took to social media to criticize the quality of the 2020 Census. In this post, he said that “The 2020 Census was a fraud. The Biden admin used a shady “privacy” formula that scrambled the data and miscounted 14 states. It included illegal immigrants and handed Democrats extra seats. Americans deserve a fair count…”
There was also an attached letter to Commerce Secretary Lutnick, which went into a bit more detail, but basically covered the above points. The post and letter are a lot to unpack, and our goal here at dataindex.us is to monitor the status of federal data. To this end, the three of us, representing over 5 decades of experience as statistical and policy professionals involved in the general field of enumerating the population, wanted to make sure the public has the facts.
-
Rapid Response Data Briefing: Understanding the Food Security Supplement
October 07, 2025Read MoreThe Food Security Supplement (FSS) is a critical dataset. It provides the only nationally representative measure of household food insecurity, guiding policymakers, advocates, and researchers in shaping effective anti-hunger strategies. Yet, the future of this dataset is at risk. Decisions made in the coming months could determine whether this vital tool remains available to track food security and inform solutions. The data are collected through a supplement to the Current Population Survey, which is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and sponsored by USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS). On September 20, 2025, USDA announced the termination of this critical resource.
If you missed our rapid-response webinar, you can check out the recording to learn:
- What’s in the FSS and how it's used.
- Why the FSS matters for hunger and nutrition policy.
- What’s at risk if the data stops flowing.
- How you can take action to protect this critical public resource. -
Data Demands Put State FEMA Funds at Risk
October 05, 2025by Mark Gross, Chris Dick, and Beth JaroszRead MoreDemography has historically been a quiet field with little time in the national spotlight. Between the three of us, we have spent nearly 5 decades working at the nexus of applied demographic modeling and public policy. We have built population estimates for the United States Census Bureau (Chris and Mark), built population estimates and forecasts outside of government (Beth and Chris), and have advocated for improvements in population estimation at both the federal and state levels (Beth and Chris). However, even with all of our combined experience, we were surprised by the news this week.
According to reporting from CNN, and confirmed through conversations we’ve had with state demographers, in order to receive FEMA Emergency Management Performance Grants, states “must now submit a population certification as of September 30 detailing their methodology and confirming that individuals removed under US immigration laws are not included in the tally.”
-
What the Government Shutdown Means for Federal Information Collections and Data
October 02, 2025Read Morea discussion between Beth Jarosz and Christopher Marcum
Beth: Here at dataindex.us we are always keyed into the heartbeat of the federal data collection process. However, even our team found ourselves wondering what would happen during the government shutdown to federal information collections and data. To that end, we have brought in our friend and colleague, Chris Marcum to answer a few questions. I’ve known Chris since we were both graduate students at the University of California, Irvine and he has had a fascinating career in public service. Most salient for our discussion today, Chris was a senior statistician and scientist at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) at OMB, where the Information Collection Request (ICR) process is governed through the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). (This conversation focuses mainly on data collected through forms and surveys and subject to the PRA, not other types of data like those collected through streamwater sensors or satellites.)
-
Register for 10/7 Webinar – Rapid Response Data Briefing: Understanding the Food Security Supplement
October 02, 2025Read MoreThe Food Security Supplement (FSS) is a critical dataset. It provides the only nationally representative measure of household food insecurity, guiding policymakers, advocates, and researchers in shaping effective anti-hunger strategies. Yet, the future of this dataset is at risk. Decisions made in the coming months could determine whether this vital tool remains available to track food security and inform solutions. The data are collected through a supplement to the Current Population Survey, which is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and sponsored by USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS). On September 20, 2025, USDA announced the termination of this critical resource.
Join us for a rapid-response data briefing to learn: