USAFacts Notes
Perspectives, observations, and insights from the people behind USAFacts.
USAFacts response to proposed regulations on demographic questions in the decennial census
The Commerce Department may ban questions about race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation from the 2030 census. USAFacts submitted a public comment highlighting the public's need for that data.
Inside Crash Course’s ‘Big Questions on US Government’
A conversation between USAFacts and Complexly on a civic education video series that tackles the complicated issues of the current political moment.
Analyst Notes: How I learned to love the US healthcare system
Or at least, the data we have about it
A call to debaters: There is a right way to argue
USAFacts President Lauren Woodman shares her perspective on how to ground our nation's political discourse in facts.
Analyst Notes: Answering your questions about data centers and water
How to think about these questions when there’s little data available.
USAFacts and VoteMate bring government data to voters
The USAFacts Data MCP provides government data to VoteMate's AI ballot assistant
Analyst Notes: Untangling campaign finance data
How we combined four FEC data sources to get accurate campaign finance data.
Analyst Notes: Are e-bikes dangerous? It’s surprisingly hard to know.
Injuries and fatalities for e-bikes and e-scooters have increased over the past several years, but does the data exist to help us understand why?
For the people: Tackling government data interoperability with NGO support
A look at how well government data systems talk to each other, where the biggest gaps are, and what role non-governmental organizations can play in closing them.
USAFacts Statement on the White House’s Call for AI-Ready Data
USAFacts backs increased access to federal data in AI-ready formats to support accurate, unbiased AI-generated information.
AI-ready data: Preparing government data for an AI-driven world
A look at why government data needs to change to keep pace with AI, and the standards that would get it there.
Before and after TCJA: Who pays federal income taxes and how much do they pay?
This data brief reviews effective tax rate trends after TCJA income tax reforms and subsequent changes under the OBBBA.
How did TCJA and OBBBA impact pass-through entities?
The OBBBA made permanent the QBI deduction created by the TCJA, preserving tax relief for pass-through entities.
Who Receives the Earned Income Tax Credit?
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is designed to benefit low-income workers, particularly those with children.
Before and After TCJA: The Child Tax Credit
The OBBBA permanently increased the Child Tax Credit to $2,200, extending and expanding TCJA reforms set to expire in 2025.
Trends in Itemized Deductions Since TCJA
The OBBBA made permanent and expanded standard and itemized deduction reforms originally enacted under the TCJA in 2017.
How many people claim the state and local tax (SALT) deduction?
The TCJA imposed a $10,000 SALT cap and increased the standard deduction; the OBBBA later raised the cap to $40,000.
The future of government data
How should government data evolve to meet the modern needs of the nation? USAFacts partnered with the Center for Open Data Enterprise to put forth a vision for our national data ecosystem.
Questions for the next Fed chair
Questions and resources for Senate deliberations on the nomination of Kevin Warsh to serve as Chair of the Federal Reserve.
Immigration enforcement
This data brief for Congress reviews the data on enforcement actions at the border, the interior, and in the immigration courts.
Questions for the next BLS Commissioner
USAFacts invites the Senate to use these questions and resources as it deliberates the nomination of Brett Matsumoto for Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Healthcare affordability
This data brief for Congress reviews data on health care coverage, costs, and federal spending in the context of recent Medicaid reforms and the expiration of enhanced ACA subsidies.
The Federal Reserve and the economy
This data brief for Congress summarizes the Federal Reserve’s role in the economy, the tools it uses to carry out monetary policy, and recent trends in inflation and employment that shape those policy decisions.
Analyst Notes: Why party registration is hard to track
Reconciling 31 different ways to report the number of registered Democrats, Republicans, and unaffiliated voters.
Analyst Notes: Government data and America’s founding
America's founders were data nerds.
Analyst notes: How did pandemic-era ACA subsidies work, and why did they expire?
Go behind the scenes with our team as we find and make sense of the numbers.
Analyst Notes: Five foundational concepts for understanding data
Go behind the scenes with our team as we find and make sense of the numbers.
Analyst notes: Why do murder rates differ between federal sources?
Go behind the scenes with our team as we find and make sense of the numbers.
Analyst notes: The clock on Congressional sessions
Go behind the scenes with our team as we find and make sense of the numbers.
Ask an Analyst: What makes a "donor state"?
Go behind the scenes with our team as we find and make sense of the numbers.
Ask an Analyst: Lending some color to the political map
Go behind the scenes with our team as we find and make sense of the numbers.
Ask an Analyst: The cost-of-living metric I can’t stop talking about
Go behind the scenes with our team as we find and make sense of the numbers.
Ask an Analyst: What's up with changing job numbers?
Go behind the scenes with our team as we find and make sense of the numbers.
Ask an Analyst: Creating a data-driven State of the Union
Go behind the scenes with our team as we find and make sense of the numbers.
Ask an Analyst: Putting White House construction in context
Go behind the scenes with our team as we find and make sense of the numbers.
Ask an Analyst: Putting the pieces together on military troop data
Go behind the scenes with our team as we find and make sense of the numbers.
Improving the timeliness, accessibility, and usefulness of tax data
USAFacts evaluates IRS tax data and offers independent, expert-informed recommendations to make tax statistics timelier, easier to access, and AI-ready.
Ask an Analyst: Searching for data on ICE
Go behind the scenes with our team as we find and make sense of the numbers.
Data Skills for Congress returns to empower with the facts
Data Skills for Congress—a collaboration between USAFacts and UC Berkeley—helps congressional staffers access, analyze, and apply government data in their work.
USAFacts presents its first-ever policy recommendations to Congress to enhance public data infrastructure
Limited or deficient data makes it difficult to address key issues of national concern — but leveraging modern technology and data can help affect change.