Economic Programs

What this funds

As a revolving account, the Working Capital Fund (WCF) supports Census enterprise-wide services, and a significant reimbursable survey line of business conducted mostly for other Federal agencies. The WCF was created by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 1997 (P.L. 104-208). The fund was established for the purpose of providing services that are more advantageously provided on a centralized basis. The fund supports major administrative services and Information Technology (IT) infrastructure, as well as statistical research and methodological work that benefits the enterprise. The fund also includes a large portfolio of survey and statistical projects conducted on a reimbursable basis for other Federal agencies and state and local governments. It finances a limited catalog of product sales to the public. Finally, the WCF contains a Cost Collection account that aggregates funding for non-severable projects that are funded from more than one source where employees working on these projects cannot reasonably divide their salaries among multiple sources of funding. In FY 2027, the WCF account will continue to provide centralized services and encompass any reimbursable activity occurring in the fiscal year. The Census Bureau conducts numerous surveys for Federal and non-Federal organizations on a reimbursable basis annually. The reimbursable work will be conducted subject to the availability of resources and direction from partnering agencies. In FY 2027, the Census Bureau expects to conduct about $436.2 million in reimbursable surveys. The Census Bureau manages this data collection through six regional offices that direct the work of thousands of field representatives, the National Processing Center and its associated telephone centers, and headquarters management and program divisions. Most of the costs associated with these efforts consist of salary and mileage costs for field representatives and statisticians in program divisions that process and analyze the data, as well as contracts and equipment for the information technology infrastructure supporting these surveys. The Census Bureau's field survey infrastructure is unique in the Federal Government and allows reimbursable customers to take advantage of the economies of scale that this offers and pursue the data collection that benefits their missions at a much lower cost than would be the case if those agencies had to collect the data directly. The Census Bureau's Economic Directorate conducts over 20 programs for various Federal agencies including the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. The Demographic Reimbursable Surveys include some of the most important surveys conducted by the Federal Government including the Current Population Survey, conducted jointly with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is the Nation's primary source of labor force data and includes a wide variety of demographic and job characteristics. It is also the source of the widely reported U.S. national and state unemployment rates. Other key programs include the Consumer Expenditure Survey, the National Crime Victimization Survey, the National Health Interview Survey, and the American Housing Survey. The most significant of the Decennial Reimbursable programs are Special Censuses. A Special Census is a basic enumeration of population, housing units, group quarters and transitory locations, conducted by the Census Bureau at the request and cost of a governmental unit. These consist of reimbursable activity conducted by the Census Bureau on behalf of others that do not fit into the major categories. They include work done directly with the Census Bureau's Field Directorate, like Age Search Service and the Census of Agriculture; Research and Methodology Directorate, like administration in the Research Data Centers; and Mission Support areas for shared services assistance. The WCF conducts enterprise-wide services that support both appropriated and reimbursable programs. These services cover a wide range of critical administrative, management, research, and technical activities that are critical for the successful performance of the Census Bureau's mission and are key components of change that will position the bureau to respond effectively. The key management, administration, and IT activities and services of the WCF include: ' Executive Direction and Policy Coordination: Manage the agency's program portfolio and enterprise risk register. Promotes and sustains policy and privacy principles that comply with data stewardship and privacy laws for protecting the confidentiality of ' Research and Methodology: Researches and conducts individual and collaborative research projects with internationally recognized experts that focus on issues critical to executing the Census Bureau's mission and the broader Federal statistical community. Develops, maintains, and administers systems for disclosure protection of Census Bureau information products to ' Human Resources, Equal Opportunity, and Administrative Services: E

Extracted from Census Bureau, p. 133. Verbatim; nothing here is paraphrased.

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