What is it?

The Federal Data Forum is a place to share messages, materials, and announcements related to the U.S. federal statistical system and federal data products.

Who Runs it?

The Federal Data Forum is run by the Population Reference Bureau with support from the Massive Data Institute at Georgetown University and donations from members like you.

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Who can join?

Anyone who is interested in learning more about the U.S. federal statistical system and federal data products.

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Latest Discussions List

  • Posted in: Federal Data Users

    Hi Glenn. Jon Rothbaum at Census wrote a python package for converting SAS files to parquet. I've used it for internal work with very large data sets, and it's worked quite well. It's still a work-in-progress, though. https://github.com/jrothbaum/polars_readstat ...

  • Posted in: Federal Data Users

    In case it's helpful, APDU has put together a plain-language brief that can be used to help federal, state, and local policymakers, data users, and others understand the implications of the new restrictions: https://apdu.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2026-08-DAO-Explainer.pdf ...

  • Posted in: Federal Data Users

    Dear All, The ASA NCES project team is pleased to share that this morning we released, A Vision and Strategy for Remaking the National Center for Education Statistics . Please have a look and let us know what you think . As the report ...

  • Posted in: Federal Data Users

    There's excellent work happening in response to federal data threats at the national level, so much of it reflected in this forum. About nine months ago, with funding from California foundations, I began asking a related question: How are local communities ...

  • Posted in: Federal Data Users

    Massive Data Institute did a detailed read of the unsigned "Beginning Analysis" and compiled a point-by-point critique of both methodological and process concerns. https://mdi.georgetown.edu/response-to-voter-record-analysis/ ------------------------------ ...