U.S. BUREAU OF THE CENSUS

Christopher Pece

Michael Yamaner

Governments Division

301-763-1503

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Topics to Cover

• Introduction to Governments Division

• Basic Programs

• Federal Statistics

• Reimbursable Surveys

• Conclusion

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Introduction to Governments Division

• Main Purposes of Governments Division Programs:

  • To provide economic statistics about Governments

  • They provide the government counterpart to business, industry, and services economic data

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Introduction to Governments Division

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Introduction to Governments Division

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Introduction to Governments Division

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Introduction to Governments Division

Governments and the Fortune 500

• Measuring corporate sales and government revenue, all 50 states would make the Fortune 500 list

  • Two states in top 10 (CA=5th, NY=9th)

  • 15 states in top 100

  • Smallest state (SD) is about 350th

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Introduction to Governments Division

Governments and the Fortune 500 (continued)

• Local governments –12 more would make list

  • 3 counties

  • 7 cities

  • 2 school districts

• What’s true in national economy is true in individual states – i.e. governments are important economic entities in each state’s economy

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Introduction to Governments Division

Main Users of Governments Division Data

• • • Bureau of Economic Analysis

    • Federal Reserve Board

    • Congress and state legislatures

    • Public interest groups

    • Businesses

    • State and local governments

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Introduction to Governments Division

Primary emphasis:

• State and local governments

Some Federal government data, including:

• Employment and payroll data

• Expenditures, by function, program, and geography

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Topics to Cover

• Introduction to Governments Division

• Basic Programs

• Federal Statistics

• Reimbursable Surveys

• Conclusion

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Basic Programs - Government Organization

Classification of governments is our most basic and essential activity.

Why? Because……..

• Structure of governments vary

• Responsibilities of governments vary

Best data source – Government Organization

• Vol. 1, Number 1 Government Organization

• Vol.1, Number 2 Individual State Descriptions

http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/govern.html

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Basic Programs - Government Organization

• There are about 90,000 governments in the US (2002 official count = 87,576)

• Illinois had the most governments (6,904) and Hawaii the fewest (20)

• Cook County, Illinois, had more governments than any other county (539)

• Texas led nation with 254 county governments, Connecticut and Rhode Island have none.

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Basic Programs - Government Organization

Definition of government

• Existence as an organized entity – legal organization & corporate powers

• Governmental character – public officers & accountability

• Substantial autonomy

• Fiscal independence

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Basic Programs - Government Organization

Government Units: 2002 and 1952

2002 1952

Total governments 87,576 116,805

U. S. Government 1 1

State Governments 50 48

Local Governments 87,525 116,756

General Purpose 38,967 37,061

County 3,034 3,052

Sub-county 35,933 34,009

Municipal 19,429 16,807

Township 16,504 17,202

Special Purpose 48,558 79,695

School District 13,506 67,355

Special District 35,052 12,340

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Basic Programs - Government Organization

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Basic Programs - Government Organization

Other uses of Government Organization data

• Written into some statutes

• Fair Labor Standards Act

• Family Medical Leave Act – 50 employee threshold

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Basic Programs - Government Finances

Revenue (100+ data items)

• Taxes

• Service Charges

• Intergovernmental Revenue

Expenditure (300+ data items)

• Object – current expenditures, construction outlays….

• Function – education, highways, police, welfare…

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Basic Programs - Government Finances

Debt (70 data items)

• Debt issued

• Long-term debt

• Revenue bonds

Assets (20 data items)

• Available cash

• Invested funds

• Trust funds

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Basic Programs - Government Employment

Two major data elements

• Number of employees – Full and part-time

• One-month payroll (March)

About 25 different functions

• Highways, police, welfare, education

• Functions defined same as for finances

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Basic Programs - Periodicity of Data

• Quarterly – taxes, finances of Public Employment Retirement Systems

• Annually – finances, employment

• Census of Governments

  • Quinquennial – every five years since 1957

  • Organization, finance, employment

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Basic Programs - Census vs. Annual

• No difference in data elements or content

• Difference in scope

  • Census = Universe

  • Annual = Sample

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Basic Programs – Interesting Facts

• Response is voluntary

• Virtually all data are publicly available –

no confidentiality requirement

• Web Collection Instruments

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Basic Programs – Data Uses

• Calculation of important economic measures

  • GDP – Bureau of Economic Analysis

  • Flow of Funds – Federal Reserve Board

• Time series analysis

• Comparative analysis

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Basic Programs – Data Uses:
Time Series Analysis

The Change in Importance to Local Governments of Property Taxes

As a Percentage of Total General Revenue

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Basic Programs – Data Uses

Percent Distribution of State Government Tax Revenue: 2000

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Basic Programs – Data Uses
State and Local Government Employment (Per 10,000 Pop.)

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Topics to Cover

• Introduction to Governments Division

• Basic Programs

• Federal Statistics

• Reimbursable Surveys

• Conclusion

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Federal Statistics - Expenditures

Federal Government Domestic Outlays by:

• Geographic Area – state, county, place

• Type of Outlay – grants, direct payments, procurement contracts, salaries and wages

• Specific Program – Medicaid, Social Security, food stamps, military pay, Highway Trust Fund, student loan subsidies, and more

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Federal Statistics - Expenditures

Federal Expenditures in California

Percent of U.S. Total – FY 2003

TANF (public welfare) 21.6

Supplemental Security Income Payments 15.1

Defense Procurement 13.0

Population 12.2

Military Payroll 11.3

All Federal Funds 9.8

Social Security (Retirement) 9.6

Non-defense Procurement 8.7

Agricultural Assistance – Direct payment 3.8

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Federal Statistics - Expenditures

Per Capita Ranking in Federal Funds

Florida — FY 2003

Total Direct Expenditures……………………...30

Direct Payments - Retirement & Disability……..3

Other Direct Payments………..………………....6

Procurement Contracts…………………………29

Salaries and Wages…………………………….34

Grants…………………………………………..49

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Topics to Cover

• Introduction to Governments Division

• Basic Programs

• Federal Statistics

• Reimbursable Surveys

• Conclusion

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Reimbursable Surveys – Criminal Justice Statistics

Criminal Justice Functions

• Police

• Corrections

• Courts and other legal activities

Types of Data

• Expenditure

• Employment

• Characteristics of criminal justice agencies, facilities, and populations

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Reimbursable Surveys – Criminal Justice Statistics

Adults Under Correctional Supervision in 2000

Total (number)…………………………….6,488,300

(3.1% of adult residents)

Percent distribution:

Probation………………………………………..59%

Prison…………………………………………...20%

Parole…………………………………………...11%

Jail……………………………………………….9%

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Reimbursable Surveys – Elementary & Secondary Education

• Detailed finance data – revenues, expenditures, debt, financial assets

• Non-fiscal data – general descriptive information plus counts of students and staff

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Topics to Cover

• Introduction to Governments Division

• Basic Programs

• Federal Statistics

• Reimbursable Surveys

• Conclusion

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Conclusion

• Primary Mission – collect, analyze, and publish data on state and local government organization, finance, and employment.

• GOVS also contracts with other agencies to collect, analyze, and publish data on federal expenditures, criminal justice programs, and schools.

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Conclusion

• Data quality is extremely high – constant internal and external review

• For more information – http://www.census.gov/govs/www/index.html