Notice of Data Sharing Activity

Issuing agencies

Abstract

The U.S. Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) of the Department of Commerce intends to share business data with the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) of the Department of Commerce. BEA will use select data from the Census Bureau's economic surveys to achieve efficiencies and increased accuracy in the preparation of U.S. economic statistics. The Census Bureau will share data collected through surveys that request voluntary response and that impose no legal obligation to supply information. Only authorized BEA employees who have sworn to uphold the confidentiality provisions of Title 13 will have access to Census Bureau data.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 190 (Friday, October 2, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 190 (Friday, October 2, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62688-62689]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-20249]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau

[Docket Number: 260928-0003; RTID 0607-XC087]


Notice of Data Sharing Activity

AGENCY: Census Bureau, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of Data Sharing Activity.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) of the 
Department of Commerce intends to share business data with the U.S. 
Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) of the Department of Commerce. BEA 
will use select data from the Census Bureau's economic surveys to 
achieve efficiencies and increased accuracy in the preparation of U.S. 
economic statistics. The Census Bureau will share data collected 
through surveys that request voluntary response and that impose no 
legal obligation to supply information. Only authorized BEA employees 
who have sworn to uphold the confidentiality provisions of Title 13 
will have access to Census Bureau data.

DATES: The effective date for data sharing is October 2, 2026.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information concerning 
this notice, contact Lisa Donaldson, Assistant Associate Director for 
Economic Programs, U.S. Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill Road, 
Washington, DC 20233-6010, Telephone: 301-763-9844; by email at 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#fab693899bd4bfd4be95949b969e899594ba999f94898f89d49d958c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="92defbe1f3bcd7bcd6fdfcf3fef6e1fdfcd2f1f7fce1e7e1bcf5fde4">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency 
Act of 2002 (CIPSEA) allows the Census Bureau to share business data 
for statistical purposes with BEA. The Census Bureau and BEA are 
providing this notice to ensure compliance with the Implementation 
Guidance for Title V of the E-Government Act, Confidential Information 
Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA 
Implementation Guidance), Paragraph VII.B., which requires designated 
statistical agencies to generally inform respondents about the 
intention to share business data.
    Both the Census Bureau and BEA are primary statistical agencies 
within the Department of Commerce and ``designated statistical 
agencies'' under CIPSEA (44 U.S.C. 3576(e)). BEA and the Census Bureau 
are authoritative sources on economic data and statistics, including 
principal economic

[[Page 62689]]

indicators. These statistics inform the government, private industry, 
statistical researchers, and the American public about our nation's 
economic status and progress. To ensure accurate and timely reporting 
of economic data and indicators, the Census Bureau and BEA partner to 
measure the U.S. economy. Both the Census Bureau and BEA conduct survey 
collections, which are critical to the quality of source data and the 
timely preparation of many key indicators of U.S. economic performance. 
However, the Census Bureau and BEA recognize that these surveys impose 
some reporting burden on businesses that are required to respond. Both 
the Director of the Census Bureau and the Director of BEA are required 
to identify opportunities to eliminate duplicative collections, reduce 
reporting burdens, and reduce statistical program costs, while 
improving the quality of the resulting statistics and protecting the 
confidentiality of the data collected from survey respondents. (44 
U.S.C. 3576(b)). To do so, the Census Bureau and BEA have shared and 
continue to consider increased opportunities to share business data 
pursuant to CIPSEA.
    The Census Bureau and BEA can achieve major qualitative 
enhancements and cost efficiencies for Department of Commerce 
statistical programs, through BEA's increased access to certain data 
collected by the Census Bureau through the voluntary surveys listed 
below.

Shared Data

    BEA will benefit from data which already exists in the following 
Census Bureau surveys:
    Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS); Monthly Retail Trade 
Survey (MRTS/MARTS); Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey (MWTS); 
Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, & Orders (M3); Quarterly 
Services Survey (QSS); Quarterly Survey of Plant Capacity Utilization; 
Emergency Economic Collections; Survey of Housing Starts, Sales, and 
Completions; and Construction Progress Reporting Surveys.
    All of these Census Bureau data are collected under the provisions 
of 13 U.S.C. 131 and 193. Response to the surveys listed above is 
voluntary. The Census Bureau will not provide any Federal Tax 
Information to BEA.

Statistical Purposes for the Shared Data

    BEA will use the shared data exclusively for authorized statistical 
purposes, as defined in 44 U.S.C. 3561(12). A number of benefits will 
accrue to the Federal government from this data-sharing initiative. 
Census Bureau aggregated data are a key source of information for BEA 
national, regional, and international statistics. BEA intends to use 
the company-level data to better understand trends, anomalies, 
coverage, completeness, and other characteristics of the aggregated 
data; to enhance the reliability of the nation's most important 
economic indicators, such as the National Income and Product Accounts; 
and increase understanding of the United States economy, especially for 
key national, industry, international, and regional statistics.
    In addition, Census Bureau data may be compared at the company-
level with data from BEA surveys. This will help improve coverage and 
accuracy of the data from both bureaus and may lead to collaborative 
efforts to provide new or expanded data products for the public without 
adding burden to respondents.

Data Access and Confidentiality

    The sharing of confidential Census Bureau business data is 
authorized under 44 U.S.C. 3576. Pursuant to the CIPSEA Implementation 
Guidance, the Census Bureau and BEA are providing notice that they 
intend to enter into a written agreement for this data sharing action.
    The Census Bureau data are confidential under 13 U.S.C. 9 and 214. 
The BEA employees who will have authorized access to confidential 
Census Bureau data are required to be sworn to observe the provisions 
of 13 U.S.C. 9 and will be advised of the penalties for improper 
disclosure under 13 U.S.C. 214. The penalties are imprisonment for no 
more than five years, a fine of no more than $250,000, or both. These 
BEA employees must complete annual Title 13 Awareness Training. 
Authorized BEA employees will use the accessed data for exclusively 
statistical purposes, as outlined in this Notice.

    Dated: September 25, 2026.
George Cook,
Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, performing the non-
exclusive functions and duties of the Director of the Census Bureau.
[FR Doc. 2026-20249 Filed 10-1-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P


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