Yale Federal Statistical Research Data Center
Federal Statistical Research Data Centers are partnerships between federal statistical agencies and leading research institutions. The Yale Federal Statistical Research Data Center (YFSRDC) is a branch of the New York Research Data Center. Opened in June 2015, it is generously funded by the Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, with additional support from the Department of Economics and the School of Management. The secure facility, located in the heart of the Yale campus on Hillhouse Avenue, provides authorized access to restricted-use Census microdata for statistical purposes only. Yale faculty and graduate students, as well as several researchers at nearby universities, are currently involved in a wide range of research projects that make use of these data.
Statistical Agency Partners
The RDCs house data from many federal and state agencies and are available to researchers for approved projects. Statistical agencies collaborate with the Census Bureau to provide microdata in the secure RDC environment including:
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
- Census Bureau
- National Center for Health Statistics
Available Nonpublic Data
The nonpublic data available to approved researchers include:
- Demographic census and surveys
- Economic census and surveys
- Linked business and household data
- Public health data from partnering agencies
Sample Datasets
- American Community Survey
- American Housing Survey
- Annual Survey of Manufactures
- Decennial Census
- Economic Census
- Foreign Trade Data
- Household Component-Insurance Component Linked
- Longitudinal Business Database
- Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics
- Longitudinal Research Database
- National Crime Victimization Survey
- National Health Interview Survey
- National Survey of Family Growth
- Research, Development & Innovation Survey
- Survey of Business Owners
- Survey of Income & Program Participation
- Survey of Pollution Abatement Costs and Expenditures
Proposal Criteria
Individuals wishing to conduct research at the Yale Research Data Center (YRDC) must submit a research proposal to the Center for Economic Studies (CES) at the U.S. Census Bureau. CES accepts proposals for review at any time during the year. Both Census Bureau and external experts on subject matter, datasets and disclosure risk review all proposals. Reviews of each proposal are based on five major criteria:
- Benefit to Census Bureau programs
- Scientific merit
- Clear need for nonpublic data
- Feasibility
- Disclosure risk
If all standards are met, a proposal must also pass a review by the Census Bureau’s Office of Analysis and Executive Support. If approved by the Census Bureau, the proposal may also require approval by the federal agency sponsoring the survey or supplying the administrative data.
Access Criteria
Access to the YRDC is restricted to Census Bureau employees or researchers who have Special Sworn Status (SSS) with the Census Bureau. Each researcher must obtain security clearance by undergoing a background check to become a Special Sworn Status employee of the Census Bureau, and must sign and make a sworn statement about preserving the confidentiality of the data. Researchers are not permitted to remove any data or any analysis results from the RDC unless it passes a disclosure avoidance review.
U.S. Census Bureau RDCs
Federal Statistical Research Data Centers (FSRDCs) offer qualified researchers restricted access to economic and demographic data not otherwise made available publicly by the Census Bureau from its surveys and censuses. The FSRDCs are established through partnerships between the Census Bureau’s Center for Economic Studies and academic and nonprofit research organizations.
The data available at FSRDCs are unique in that they will allow examination of research questions not answerable by public microdata or aggregate statistics. They are secure facilities providing authorized access to restricted-use microdata for statistical purposes only.
YFSRDC Events
About Federal Statistical Research Data Centers
Contact
Peter K. Schott, Ph.D., Executive Director
Dr. Schott is a Professor of Economics at the Yale School of Management and a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Stephanie Bailey
Survey Statistician, RDC Administrator
Federal Statistical Research Data Centers,
Yale Center for Economic Studies
U.S. Census Bureau
35 Hillhouse Avenue
New Haven, CT 06511
Email: stephanie.m.bailey@census.gov
For more information about FSRDC and its partners, visit http://census.gov/fsrdc.