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ERS Annual Report to OMB on the Implementation of CIPSEA

USDA’s Economic Research Service

2025 CIPSEA Report to the Office of Management and Budget

General

The Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) is a government-wide law to provide strong confidentiality protections to Federal agencies conducting statistical information collections such as surveys and censuses as well as other statistical activities including data analysis. This report documents the Economic Research Service’s (ERS) CIPSEA activities in 2025 for the Agency’s annual report to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as required in the Implementation Guidance for Title V of the E-Government Act, CIPSEA Act of 2002. CIPSEA was reauthorized as the Foundations for the Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018; Title III reauthorizes CIPSEA.

Use of the CIPSEA Pledge

In 2025, USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) had active Information Collections (ICs) under five OMB Control Numbers. These ICs were covered under the CIPSEA pledge:

The information you provide will be used for statistical purposes only. Your response will be kept confidential and any person who willfully discloses ANY identifiable information about you or your operation is subject to a jail term, a fine, or both. This survey is conducted in accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2018, Title III of Pub. L. No. 115-435, codified in 44 U.S.C. Ch. 35 and other applicable Federal laws.

Table 1 provides the list of Information Collections ERS had active in 2025. ERS followed the confidentiality provisions in the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2018, Title III of Pub. L. No. 115-435, codified in 44 U.S.C. Ch. 35.

Table 1: ERS Information Collections Active in 2025
OMB No. Information Collection Name
0536-0073 Generic Clearance for Survey Research Studies
0536-0079 Data Security Requirements for Accessing Confidential Data
0536-0043 Food Security Supplement to the Current Population Survey
0536-0081 Foodborne Illness Valuation Survey
0536-0080 Crop Management With or Without Cover Crops

Use of the CIPSEA Agents Provision

In accordance with CIPSEA, ERS granted agent status to 216 contractors and researchers in 2025. All agents received CIPSEA training or signed the confidentiality certificate. The training and certificates affirm all agents were aware of, and agreed to abide by, CIPSEA provisions. Agents had access to CIPSEA-protected data collected under one or more of the Information Collections listed in Table 1 or legacy data described further in this report. The categories of agents ERS granted in 2025, along with a count of each type, are listed in Table 2.

Table 2: ERS Agents Granted in 2025
Agent Description Approx. Count
Cooperative Agreement Staff & Enumerators ERS enters into Cooperative Agreements with organizations that collect data on behalf of ERS. ERS maintains a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with each Cooperator that explains CIPSEA confidentiality provisions, including required CIPSEA training. 64
Information Technology Contractors & Affiliates ERS contracts with various information technology companies to provide system programming and maintenance services. ERS also contracts with other USDA offices to provide information technology services. Some of these contractors and USDA staff have access to CIPSEA-protected data. 128
ERS-Funded Researchers ERS contracts with universities, and other researchers to provide expertise on various statistical and survey methodologies. Each contract is formalized with a Statement of Work, an Intergovernmental Personnel Act, or a cooperative agreement. These researchers are provided access to data to conduct research on statistical analysis methodologies. Data access is provided at ERS facilities, approved external networks that remotely and securely link to the ERS computer network, other approved external networks, such as the Administrative Data Research Facility (ADRF), and/or on the ERS computer network. 4
Researchers (Non-ERS Funded)

This category includes researchers from universities and governmental agencies (Federal and State) who request to access existing ERS survey data for research purposes. Before these researchers are granted agent status to conduct specialized statistical analyses on CIPSEA-protected data, they must provide ERS with information about the research team and the proposed project through the Standard Application Process (SAP) or other approved method. Specifically, the information provided to ERS to evaluate the request include:

  • Researcher information
    • Full name, affiliation, title and contact information for each person who will have access to the data
    • Research Description
    • Requested data
    • Research question and project abstract
    • Methodology and linkages
    • Project products, output, and timeline

ERS reviews the application to determine if access is approved. If approved, data access may be provided at ERS through a secure Data Enclave following completion of security protocols.

 20
Total   216

ERS maintains five surveys that collected data in prior calendar years under the CIPSEA.

  • Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS)
  • Rural Establishment Innovation Survey (REIS)
  • Survey on Rural Community Wealth and Health Care Provision (SRCWHCP)
  • Foodborne Illness Valuation Survey
  • Crop Management With or Without Cover Crops

Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey

USDA's National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS), now referred to as FoodAPS1, is the first nationally representative survey of American households to collect unique and comprehensive data about household food purchases and acquisitions. Detailed information was collected about foods purchased or otherwise acquired for consumption at home and away from home, including foods acquired through food and nutrition assistance programs. The survey includes nationally representative data from 4,826 households, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households, low-income households not participating in SNAP, and higher income households.

ERS and USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) jointly sponsored FoodAPS1. The survey was administered in 2012-2013 to collect data regarding household purchases and acquisitions of food. The data became available for researchers in 2014. ERS is in the process of piloting a new survey, FoodAPS2, to be administered in CY2027, contingent on funding availability.

In CY2025, ERS granted access to 20 self-funded academic and other researchers via the ADRF Data Enclave.

Rural Establishment Innovation Survey (REIS)

The Rural Establishment Innovation Survey (REIS) was funded through USDA's Rural Development Mission Area to collect information on rural tradable business sectors such as manufacturing and professional services. These data measure how rural businesses and their communities are dealing with the increasing competitive pressures and opportunities associated with the spread of new information technologies through our economy. This information is critical to the USDA’s aim of creating jobs, developing new markets, and increasing competitiveness for rural businesses and communities.

ERS signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Census Bureau for transfer of the dataset and use within the Federal Statistical Research Data Center (FSRDC). There are two active projects using REIS data in the FSRDC.

In CY2025, ERS did not have external researchers use the REIS.

Survey on Rural Community Wealth and Health Care Provision

The Survey on Rural Community Wealth and Health Care Provision (SRCWHCP) was conducted by ERS in 2015 through a cooperative agreement with Iowa State University. The objectives of the survey were to improve understanding about how the assets and investments of rural communities affect recruitment and retention of health care providers, and about the effects of rural health care provision on economic development in rural communities. The survey was conducted in 150 small rural towns in nine states and involved semi-structured key informant interviews with administrators of health care facilities and community leaders, and a structured survey of health care providers.

In CY2025, ERS did not have external researchers use the SRCWHCP data.

Foodborne Illness Valuation Survey

The Foodborne Illness Valuation Survey was conducted by ERS in 2025 through a cooperative agreement with Resources for the Future and a subcontract with NORC. The objectives of the survey were to improve the accuracy of cost of foodborne illness estimates by providing estimates of “willingness-to-pay to avoid loss of quality of life” from illnesses that can be foodborne. The survey was conducted with a sample of U.S. adults aged 18+ and using NORC’s AmeriSpeak, a pre-enrolled household survey panel designed to be representative of the U.S. population. For the acute version of the survey, there were 3,979 sample units, and 1,010 completed surveys. For the chronic version of the survey there were 4,609 sample units, and 1,440 completed surveys. The survey was completed by participants in AmeriSpeak Panel online. The survey included the CIPSEA pledge.

In CY2025, ERS granted access to 3 ERS funded agents.

Crop Management With or Without Cover Crops

The Crop Management With or Without Cover Crops survey was conducted by ERS in 2025 through a cooperative agreement with Michigan State University. The objectives of the survey were to gain insights into farmers’ use of and preferences for planting cover crops under different types of conservation contracts. The survey was conducted with a sample of 16,500 corn and soybean growers in twelve Midwestern states stratified by farm acreage. The sampling frame was developed using two sets of administrative data: Farm Service Agency (FSA) Crop Acreage Data and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) conservation program history from ProTracts.

In CY2025, ERS granted access to one ERS funded agent.