Federal, State, & Local Governments

2012 Census of Governments

The U.S. Census Bureau conducts a Census of Governments of all state and local government organization units every 5 years, for years ending in 2 and 7, as required by law under Title 13, U.S. Code, Section 161. The collection of these data will

• Identify the scope and nature of the nation's state and local governments.
• Classify local government organizations, powers, and activities.
• Provide authoritative benchmark data on public finance and public employment.
• Measure state and local governments' fiscal relationships.
• Video: Factfinder for the Nation -- Census of Governments

Government Employment & Payroll

Statistics on the number of federal, state, and local government civilian employees and their gross payrolls by functional category. Data are available online from 1992 and on:

• Annual: Government Employment & Payroll
• Customize a data table with Build–a–Table

Government Finance Statistics

Financial activity of governments including revenues, expenditures, debt and assets. Data are available online from 1992 and on:

• Annual: State Government Finances
• Annual: State & Local Government Finances

Financial statistics of public school systems, including data on revenues, expenditures, debt, and assets. Data are available online from 1992 and on:

• Annual: Public Elementary – Secondary Education Finances

Financial statistics on state and local government employee retirement systems. Annual data are available online from 1993 and on. Quarterly data for the last five years are available online.

• Annual:

• State Public Pensions
• State & Local Public Pensions

• Quarterly: Quarterly Survey of Public Pensions

Federal Spending

Federal spending on selected programs:

• Annual: Consolidated Federal Funds Report (CFFR)
• Quarterly: Federal Assistance Award Data System (FAADS)
• Federal Audit Clearinghouse

Tax Statistics

Annual survey of state government tax revenue and quarterly survey of tax revenue for state & local governments. Annual data are available online from 1992 and on. Quarterly data are available online from 1993 and on:

• Annual: State Government Tax Collections
• Quarterly: State & Local Government Tax Revenue

Lists & Structure of Governments

Information about state & local governments, including the number of governments in the U.S.

• 2012 State by type counts
• 2007 edition of Governments Integrated Directory
• Descriptions by state of how governments are organized [PDF, 3,045MB]

Special Topics

The Census Bureau also conducts surveys about special topics related to government activity for other federal agencies.

• Criminal Justice Statistics
• Elementary – Secondary Education Statistics
• Library Statistics