Public Employment & Payroll Forms

Attachment 6

2012 CENSUS OF GOVERNMENTS
A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT THE ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES OF
AMERICA’S GOVERNMENTS

Measuring America – People, Places, and Our Economy

The 2012 Census of Governments is here. All of us have a
strong interest in the successful completion of the 2012 Census
as it will identify the scope and nature of the nation's state and
local government sector.
The Census of Governments will identify, measure, and provide
insight into state and local government activity and serve as the
foundation for developing national economic and public policy.
This information will be used by a variety of entities such as the
U.S. Congress, state and local governments, federal agencies,
and the general public when measuring government activity.
Students from elementary school through college will use this
information to gain an understanding of state and local
governments.
The enclosed questionnaire is the Survey of Public Employment
and Payroll. The Survey of Public Employment and Payroll is
part of the employment component of the 2012 Census of
Governments and will provide measures of employment and
gross payrolls by function and type of government for
approximately 90,000 state and local governments in the
United States.
You can contribute to a successful 2012 Census of
Governments by ensuring that the questionnaire receives
prompt attention and that it is completed and returned as soon
as possible. Please accept our appreciation in advance for
ensuring the success of the 2012 Census of Governments.

“Every city has a strong interest in the successful completion of the
2012 Census of Governments, as it will identify the scope and nature
of the nation's local government sector. It identifies, measures and
provides insight into state and local government activity and serves
as the foundation for developing national economic and public
policy.”
Don Borut,
Executive Director
National League of Cities

“The public service provided by the Census of Governments programs
to produce data that allow users to understand the performance of
the state and local sector is, in my mind, almost immeasurable."
Dr. Robert Inman,
The Wharton School
University of Pennsylvania
“The Census of Governments is the only comprehensive source of data
on local governments that is crucial not only to developing profiles of
local governments for comparative purposes but also to providing
data that can be merged with other sources of local government
data, such as the surveys conducted by the International City/County
Management Association (ICMA), which focus on local economic
development, sustainability, service delivery, and other research
topics. By collecting uniform, comprehensive organizational,
employment, and financial data, the Census of Governments provides
the breadth of a complete census, which cannot be achieved through
individual efforts outside of this federal agency."
Evelina Moulder
Director, Survey Research
International City/County Management Association

Connect with us:

www.census.govs/govs

Contact Us | Governments Division | phone 1-800-832-2839| govs.employ@census.gov I www.census.gov/govs