Benefits of Federal Statistical Research Data Centers

Abstract

The thirty-three Federal Statistical Research Data Centers
(FSRDC) provide researchers access to unique datasets.1
FSRDCs are operated by the U.S. Census Bureau in partnership
with federal statistical agencies and leading research institutions
in the U.S. (map of locations in Figure 1). Formerly called
Census Research Data Centers, FSRDCs provide controlled
access to restricted agency microdata in a secure environment
to researchers, protecting respondent confidentiality. Following
congressional action in 2018, the number of FSRDCs and the
available data has grown significantly and is likely to continue
to increase.2 These data are extremely valuable to researchers
and provide much more detail than data that is publicly available
on federal agency websites or distributed to libraries in the
Federal Depository Library Program. Federal datasets support
research in economics, sociology, public health, geography, and
related fields.