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America's Data Agency

World economies are driven by innovation, emerging technologies, intellectual property—and data. Creating a robust economy requires an enormous amount of data, and Commerce is the nation’s preeminent producer of public data. More than 30 million U.S. business enterprises; 325 million Americans; and 93,000 tribal, state, and local governments rely on our data to make informed decisions. The information and data we produce shape fiscal and monetary policy and operational decisions that improve the nation’s social and economic conditions. Annually, more than $1 trillion in federal funds are distributed to states and localities, in whole or in part, using data produced by the department.

Related Content

July 2020 Updates Show Department of Commerce Making Progress Toward Accomplishing All Agency Priority Goals

Blog
Guest blog by the Office of the Secretary CFO/ASA-Performance Excellence Team, Kathryn Miller, Graduate Student Intern; Elizabeth Guo, Undergraduate Student Intern. The Department of Commerce published progress updates on its five Agency Priority Goals (APGs) for the first and second quarters of FY 2020. The detailed action plans and Q1-Q2 progress for each APG can be found at https://performance...

U.S. Census Bureau Reaches Ambitious 2020 Census Community Partner Goal Ahead of Schedule

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U.S. Census Bureau Director Dr. Steven Dillingham recently announced that the 2020 Census Community Partnership and Engagement Program (CPEP) has reached its goal of 300,000 partnering organizations nationwide. Community partners include government, community based organizations, local businesses, schools, Faith-based institutions and more. "Community partners for the 2020 Census are critical...

Census Bureau Reaches Highest Recruiting Goals, Begins Selections for Census Takers

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The U.S. Census Bureau is beginning its selection process to hire up to 500,000 census takers for the 2020 Census. “America has answered the call, and is ready to answer the 2020 Census,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “With unemployment rates at historic lows, recruiting is a big challenge. I congratulate our recruitment staff, and our community partners for recruiting more than 2.6...

Spotlight on Commerce: Michelle Hawkins, PhD, Chief of the Severe, Fire, Public, and Winter Weather Services Branch, National Weather Service (NWS)

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Guest blog by Michelle Hawkins, Chief of the Severe, Fire, Public, and Winter Weather Services Branch in the Analyze, Forecast and Support Office of the National Weather Service (NWS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) I am Chief of the Severe, Fire, Public, and Winter Weather Services Branch in the Analyze, Forecast and Support Office of the National Weather Service (NWS) in...

Spotlight on Commerce: DaNa Carlis, Meteorologist and Program Manager, Office of Weather and Air Quality, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

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Guest blog post by DaNa Carlis, Meteorologist and Program Manager at NOAA’s Office of Weather and Air Quality Growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, weather was always very important, but as a kid I didn’t know I could make a career out of it. The part that got me interested in science was that as a middle school student, one of my science teachers would set up competitions for every test. One of the...

America's Environmental Intelligence Agency: NOAA Celebrates 50 Years of Science, Service and Stewardship

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In 1807, President Thomas Jefferson founded the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (as the Survey of the Coast) to provide nautical charts to the maritime community for safe passage into American ports and along our extensive coastline. The Weather Bureau was founded 1870 and, one year later, the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries was founded. Individually, these organizations were America's first...

Transparency in Federal Government: Commerce Department Makes its Data Accessible to Citizens with New Interactive Tool

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Guest blog by Christine Heflin, Director of Performance Excellence, Deputy Performance Improvement Officer As America’s “Data Agency” and co-leader of the Data Goal in the President’s Management Agenda, the Department of Commerce is leading improvement in how federal agencies make data accessible and useful to the American public. With the launch of Commerce Performance Data Pro, seeing the...

Census Bureau Ramps Up Hiring Efforts for 2020 Census

Blog
The U.S. Census Bureau is ramping up its national recruiting efforts to hire up to 500,000 temporary, part-time census takers for the 2020 Census in communities across the country to reach its goal of more than 2 million applicants. The positions offer competitive pay, flexible hours, paid training, and weekly paychecks. To determine the pay rate in a specific area, learn more about these...

Why the Census Bureau Is Establishing a “Trust & Safety” Team

Blog
The 2020 Census is a nationwide count of all people living in the United States that occurs only once every ten years. At the U.S. Census Bureau, we are devoting great resources, energy and passion to educating the public about the upcoming 2020 Census. We are joined in our efforts by thousands of partners, supporters and stakeholders across the country, including state, local and tribal...

What is the Historical Probability of a White Christmas in Your State?

Blog
Minnesota. Maine. Upstate New York. The Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Practically anywhere in Idaho. And of course, the Rockies or the Sierra Nevada Mountains. These are the parts of the Lower 48* where weather history suggests you want to be if you're looking for the best chance of a white Christmas. For those of you dreaming of a white Christmas, you can find places that...