New Report Documents Challenges Facing Federal Statistical System, Offers Roadmap for Strengthening
ALEXANDRIA, VA – December 10, 2025 – The American Statistical Association (ASA) today released The Nation's Data at Risk: 2025 Report, the second in a multiyear assessment of the US federal statistical agencies. The report documents significant challenges facing the 13 federal statistical agencies and outlines nine new recommendations to strengthen the nation's statistical infrastructure.
Federal statistics—produced by agencies including the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics—serve as essential infrastructure for economic policy, public health decisions and democratic governance. These data inform everything from interest rate decisions to public health responses and business planning.
“Federal statistics are fundamental infrastructure, similar to roads, bridges and power grids,” said ASA Executive Director Ron Wasserstein. “This report shows that immediate investment and coordination are needed to ensure these agencies can meet current and future information needs.”
Key Findings
The report documents the following concerning trends:
Staffing losses: Most agencies have lost 20-30% of their staff, affecting their ability to innovate and meet expanding demands for more timely and granular data.
Budget constraints: Eight of 13 agencies have lost at least 16% of purchasing power since FY2009, even as congressional mandates have increased.
Declining public trust: The percentage of US.adults who trust federal statistics declined from 57% in June 2025 to 52% in September 2025, according to surveys conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago.
System coordination challenges: The decentralized structure of the federal statistical system, while promoting subject-matter expertise, lacks dedicated funding for system-wide initiatives such as joint IT upgrades and coordinated data-sharing.
Path Forward
The report offers nine recommendations for Congress, the administration, federal agencies and professional associations, including the following:
Granting hiring freeze exemptions to fill critical positions
Funding research partnerships to foster innovation and efficiency
Developing portfolio review frameworks to modernize programs based on evolving needs
Improving data accessibility and preservation across agencies
Expanding stakeholder engagement to ensure agencies respond to user needs
These recommendations build on 15 recommendations from the ASA's inaugural 2024 report, very few of which have been implemented to date.
“The [statistical] system's resilience—evident in the dedication of its staff, its commitment to objectivity, and its willingness to innovate under constraints—provides a foundation on which to build a more efficient, modernized capacity that can support the nation’s statistical data needs going forward,” the report notes. “The status quo is not sustainable. … Implementing the recommendations in this report would begin to restore the system’s capacity to deliver the timely, relevant and trustworthy statistics the nation depends upon.”
About the Report
The Nation's Data at Risk: 2025 Report continues the ASA's multiyear effort to assess and monitor the health of federal statistical agencies. The assessment covers five dimensions: staffing and capacity; system structure and funding; innovation; congressional engagement; and stakeholder support.
The full report is available at https://www.amstat.org/policy-and-advocacy/the-nations-data-at-risk--2025-report.
About the American Statistical Association
The American Statistical Association is the world's largest community of statisticians and the oldest continuously operating professional science society in the United States. For more information, visit www.amstat.org.
Contact: Steve Pierson
American Statistical Association
703.302.1841
[email protected]