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Data on government finance first appeared in the 1840 Decennial Census. The first Census of Government was first taken in 1850. It has been conducted every five years, in years ending in "2" and "7", since 1957. Prior to that, it was taken approximately every ten years. Data is currently available for 2017, and the next census will be conducted in 2022.
The Census of Governments collects data on government organization, finance, and employment as part of the Census Bureau's Economic Census program. Data are collected from governments on the topics of government organization, public employment, and government finances. Organization data include location, type, and characteristics of local governments and officials. Finances and employment data are the same as in comparable annual surveys and include revenue, expenditure, debt, assets, employees, payroll, and benefits.
The Census of Governments provides the only source of periodic information that identifies and describes all federal, state, and local government organizations in the U.S. and reflects the use of nationally consistent definitions and classifications. The purpose of the program is to provide periodic and comprehensive statistics about governments and governmental activities.
In addition to the Census of Governments, the Census Bureau collects other information from government organizations more frequently. Information is collected annually on employment, finances, and public employee retirement systems. Information on property and other state and local tax collections is collected on a quarterly basis.
Current (2017)
Census of Governments – Tables (1992-2017)
Historical (1957 - 2012)
Census of Governments - Historical Data (1952-2002)
Census of Governments – Tables (1992-2017)
HathiTrust. Selected Census of Government volumes are available through the HathiTrust Digital Library at the University of Michigan.
Print Check catalog under title "Census of Governments" for OSU Libraries' holdings and status. (2007 was the last tangible edition published)
Annual State and Local Government Finances Summary: 2018. Raemeka Mayo, Randy Moore, Kristen Ricks, and Heidi St.Onge. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census, October 1, 2020.
Annual State and Local Government Finances Summary: 2019. Raemeka Mayo, Randy Moore, Kristen Ricks, and Heidi St.Onge. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census, July 30, 2021.
Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. (United States Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census) 1992-.
Annual Survey of Public PensionsTables. (United States Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census) 1993-.
Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances - Datasets. (United States Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census) 1993-.
Annual Survey of State Government Finances. (United States Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census) 1992-.
Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections. (United States Census Bureau) 1992-.
Annual Survey of School System Finances. (United States Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census) 1992-.
Budget of the United States Government. (FDsys) 1996-.
Public School System Finances. (United States Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census) 1992-.
Publications. (United States Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census) Census publications arranged by year from 1801 to the present. Some of which deal with Census of Government topics for all levels local to federal. Ranging from property taxes to prosecutions, from long-term debt to liquor monopolies, from federal, state, and local government officials to fiscal planning, etc.
Quarterly Summary of State & Local Tax Revenue - Data Tables. (United States Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census) 1962-.
State and Local Government Finances Summary: 2010. Jeffrey L. Barnett and Phillip M. Vidal. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census, September 2012 (Reissued July 2013).
State and Local Government Finances Summary: 2011. Jeffrey L. Barnett and Phillip M. Vidal. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census, July 2013.
State Government Book: A program inventory of the State of Ohio’s Cabinet Departments… Columbus, Ohio: Ohio Office of Budget and Management. [1st-3rd editions] [4thedition]
State Government Finances Summary: 2009. Christopher Pece, Cheryl H. Lee, and Nancy I Higgins. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census, January 2011.
State Government Finances Summary: 2010. Cheryl H. Lee, Robert Jesse Willhide, and Nancy Higgins. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census, December 2011.
State Government Finances Summary: 2013. Cheryl H. Lee, Tereese Dyson, Matthew Park, Calvin Handy, and Marquita Buchanan Reynolds. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census, February 2015.
State Government Finances Summary Report: 2012. Cheryl H. Lee, Robert Jesse Willhide, and Edward Pome. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census, January 23, 2014.
State Government Tax Collections Summary Report: 2013. Sheila O'Sullivan, Russell Pustejovsky, Edward Pome, Angela Wongus, and Jesse Willhide. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census, April 8, 2014.
State Government Tax Collections Summary Report: 2014. Cheryl H. Lee, Edward Pome, Mara Beleacov, Daniel Pyon, and Matthew Park. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census, April 16, 2015.
State Government Tax Collections Summary Report: 2019. Sarah Anderson, Raemeka Mayo, Tyler Kerr, Kristen Pasquino-Frates, and Justin Keller. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census, May 1, 2020.
State Government Tax Collections Summary Report: 2020. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census, April 15, 2021.
Census of Governments - About. (United States Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census)
Factfinder for the Nation: Statistics on Governments. (United States Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census)
History of the Decennial Censuses of Governments: 1850 to 1942. (United States Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census)
Historical Overview of U.S. Census Bureau Data Collection Activities about Governments: 1850 to 2005. (United States Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census)
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