A recent report identified billions of dollars in federal funding for programs geared to serve seniors which had been guided by census data in Fiscal Year 2023 (FY 2023).
According to the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), “Of the 371 census-guided federal assistance programs operating in fiscal year 2023 that POGO identified, 28 were census-guided programs that served seniors. These programs accounted for approximately $1.57 trillion disbursed to all 50 states and Washington, DC, representing 70.30% of the total census-guided funding in FY 2023.”
POGO concluded that, “As the U.S. population grows older, there may be more demand for services and resources that federal programs offer. Therefore, an accurate census count is critical to ensure that the government allocates federal funds where they are needed. POGO found 28 census-guided programs that the federal government funds to provide services that support the senior population. The following examples illustrate how the services of federal assistance programs address their different needs.”
- Census Matters: How the Census Shapes Funding for Seniors. September 9, 2026 By Janice Luong and Sean Moulton https://www.pogo.org/reports/census-matters-how-the-census-shapes-funding-for-seniors
