Bureau of the Census 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Bureau of the Census (U.S. Census Bureau) is giving notice of a meeting of the Federal Economic Statistics Advisory Committee (FESAC). The Committee will advise the Directors of the Economics and Statistics Administration's (ESA) two statistical agencies, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the Bureau of the Census, and the Commissioner of the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on statistical methodology and other technical matters related to the collection, tabulation, and analysis of federal economic statistics. Last minute changes to the agenda are possible, which could prevent giving advance public notice of schedule adjustments.

The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) is conducting the 2010 Annual Surveys in the Manufacturing Area. The 2010 Annual Surveys consist of the Current Industrial Reports surveys, the Annual Survey of Manufactures, the Business R&D and Innovation Survey, and the Manufacturers' Unfilled Orders Survey. We have determined that annual data collected from these surveys are needed to aid the efficient performance of essential governmental functions, and have significant application to the needs of the public and industry. The data derived from these surveys, most of which have been conducted for many years, are not publicly available from nongovernmental or other governmental sources.

The United States Department of Commerce's Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) publishes this notice to announce that the Director of the Census Bureau has determined the need to conduct the 2010 Annual Retail Trade Survey (ARTS). ARTS covers employer firms with establishments located in the United States and classified in the Retail Trade and/or Accommodation and Food Services sectors as defined by the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Through this survey, the Census Bureau will collect data covering annual sales, annual e-commerce sales, year-end inventories held inside and outside the United States, total operating expenses, purchases, accounts receivables, and, for selected industries, merchandise line sales, percent of sales by class of customer, and percent of e-commerce sales to customers located outside the United States. These data are collected to provide a sound statistical basis for the formation of policy by various government agencies. Results will be available for use for a variety of public and business needs such as economic and market analysis, company performance, and forecasting future demand.

The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) currently releases American Community Survey (ACS) data products in the form of 1-year estimates and 3-year estimates. Most recently, the 2008 ACS 1-year estimates were released in September 2009, and the 2006-2008 ACS 3-year estimates were released in October 2009. By this notice, the Census Bureau announces plans for the release of ACS 5-year data products covering the period of 2005-2009. The release of the ACS 5-year estimates will achieve a goal of the ACS to provide small-area data similar to the data published after Census 2000, based on the long-form sample. This notice provides general information on the Census Bureau's modifications to its current line of ACS data products to accommodate the 5-year estimates.

This notice provides the Bureau of the Census' (hereafter, Census Bureau's) proposed criteria for defining urban areas based on the results of the 2010 Decennial Census (the term ``urban area'' as used throughout this notice refers generically to urbanized areas of 50,000 or more population and urban clusters of at least 2,500 and less than 50,000 population). It also provides a description of the changes from the final criteria used for Census 2000. The Census Bureau is requesting public comment on these proposed criteria.

The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) issues this notice to request comments on the approach to developing a Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) presented in a report entitled ``Observations from the Interagency Technical Working Group on Developing a Supplemental Poverty Measure,'' which was recently released by the Interagency Technical Working Group on Developing a Supplemental Poverty Measure (Working Group). This report was produced as part of an effort by the Working Group to suggest how the Census Bureau, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), should develop a new Supplemental Poverty Measure. The report provides observations about how to make a series of initial choices in the development of the SPM. The eventual publication of the SPM will not replace the official poverty measure, nor will it have any impact on allocations determined by the poverty measurement. Rather, it is part of the Census Bureau's ongoing effort to more accurately measure poverty levels in the United States.

The Bureau of the Census (U.S. Census Bureau) is giving notice of a meeting of the Census Scientific Advisory Committee (C-SAC). The

Notice is hereby given that the Secretary of Commerce has determined that the renewal of the Census Advisory Committee on the African American Population, Census Advisory Committee on the American Indian and Alaska Native Populations, Census Advisory Committee on the Asian Population, Census Advisory Committee on the Hispanic Populations and Census Advisory Committee on the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Population are in the public interest in connection with the performance of duties imposed by law on the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) publishes this final rule to announce to state and local governments and to federal agencies that, beginning on February 3, 2010, the Census Bureau will temporarily suspend the Population Estimates Challenge Program during both the decennial census year and the following year, and will indefinitely suspend the Per Capita Income Estimates Challenge Program (also known as Procedure for Challenging Certain Population and Income Estimates) to accommodate the taking of the 2010 Census. During this time, the Census Bureau will not provide the operations necessary to review the July 1, 2009, population or per capita income estimates for state, and other general-purpose governments, such as cities, towns, and villages. The Population Estimates Challenge Program will resume in 2012 as the program begins operations based upon the results of the 2010 Census. The Per Capita Income Estimates Challenge Program will be suspended until a rulemaking is initiated to remove those regulations from the Code of Federal Regulations. This rule also summarizes the comments received on the October 7, 2009 proposed rule requesting comments on the proposed temporary suspension of the Population Estimates and Income Estimates Challenge Programs.