The U.S. Census Bureau seeks public comment by September 30, 2025, on “a new program which will allow businesses, state and local government and education agencies, and other entities normally reporting in private- and public-sector business surveys to provide us with Direct Digital Data Feeds.”
This would be “an automated transmission of data from an organization’s existing digital systems such as databases, accounting software, or administrative records directly to the Census Bureau, without requiring manual data entry or separate survey responses. Data feeds may include information such as organization and financial data, employment, enrollment, payroll, production, sales, inventories, and other business-related data.”
To encourage participation via these feeds, participants would “be excused from requirements to respond to future private- and public-sector business surveys. The information they provide in their data feed will be considered as their survey response. Future engagements with program participants, outside of receiving their periodic data feeds, will be limited to reporting process changes or major organizational updates.”
The Direct Digital Data Feeds “will support a variety of survey and census programs including but not limited to the economic census, economic indicators, and other programs to improve both research and operational efficiencies” and “offer an efficient, voluntary alternative for organizations to provide data, reducing reporting burden and improving the quality and timeliness of economic and educational statistics.”
The Bureau aims to begin the program with large companies, as they would “see the largest benefit in terms of reporting burden savings.”
- Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Direct Digital Data Feeds https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/08/01/2025-14574/agency-information-collection-activities-submission-to-the-office-of-management-and-budget-omb-for
