OMB Revises Federal Data Standards for Race and Ethnicity

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has recently issued updated revisions to its “Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity” – the first update since 1997. 

Released on March 28, these revisions include significant changes to questions concerning race and ethnicity, such as the addition of Middle Eastern or North African as a new minimum category on federal surveys.

Since that first convening, OMB reviewed nearly 20,000 comments and held almost 100 listening sessions to finalize the important standards.

“Thanks to the hard work of staff across dozens of federal agencies and input from thousands of members of the public, these updated standards will help create more useful, accurate, and up-to-date federal data on race and ethnicity. These revisions will enhance our ability to compare information and data across federal agencies, and also to understand how well federal programs serve a diverse America,” says Dr Karin Orvis, Chief Statistician of the United States.

The Working Group's conclusive recommendations, refined through a decade of rigorous research and testing, have influenced the updated standards released by OMB.

These revisions align closely with evidence-based suggestions, notably integrating race and ethnicity questions and adding Middle Eastern or North African as a new minimum category.

Additionally, they require further detail collection beyond the minimum categories, facilitating data disaggregation when beneficial. The updates encompass refined definitions, terminology, and guidance for agencies in data collection and presentation.

In February, OMB) launched the Federal Program Inventory (FPI) which brings data from 2,300 federal programs under one platform.

U.S. citizens, along with oversight bodies and congressional stakeholders will be able to access critical information about all Federal programs that provide grants, loans, or direct payments to individuals, governments, firms, or other organizations. 

The inventory leverages existing government data sources, including SAM.gov and USASpending.gov, to create an easy-to-use website for accessing program information.