---
kind: "section"
citation: "44 U.S.C. § 3563"
title: "44"
title_heading: "Public Printing and Documents"
number: "3563"
heading: "Statistical agencies"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/44/3563"
units:
  - "Chapter 35 — Coordination of Federal Information Policy"
  - "Subchapter III — Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency"
  - "Part A — General"
---

# §3563. Statistical agencies

- (a) **Responsibilities.—**
  - (1) **In general.—** Each [statistical agency or unit](/usc/44/3561.md?p=11) shall—
    - (A) produce and disseminate relevant and timely statistical information;
    - (B) conduct credible and accurate [statistical activities](/usc/44/3561.md?p=10);
    - (C) conduct objective [statistical activities](/usc/44/3561.md?p=10); and
    - (D) protect the trust of information providers by ensuring the confidentiality and exclusive statistical use of their responses.
  - (2) **Policies, best practices, and procedures.—** Each [statistical agency or unit](/usc/44/3561.md?p=11) shall adopt policies, best practices, and appropriate procedures to implement the responsibilities described in [paragraph (1)](#a-1).
- (b) **Support From Other Agencies.—** The head of each [agency](/usc/44/3502.md?p=1) shall enable, support, and facilitate statistical [agencies](/usc/44/3502.md?p=1) or units in carrying out the responsibilities described in [subsection (a)(1)](#a-1).
- (c) **Regulations.—** The [Director](/usc/44/3502.md?p=4) shall prescribe regulations to carry out this section.
- (d) **Definitions.—** In this section:
  - (1) **Accurate.—** The term “accurate”, when used with respect to [statistical activities](/usc/44/3561.md?p=10), means statistics that consistently match the events and trends being measured.
  - (2) **Confidentiality.—** The term “confidentiality” means a quality or condition accorded to information as an obligation not to disclose that information to an unauthorized party.
  - (3) **Objective.—** The term “objective”, when used with respect to [statistical activities](/usc/44/3561.md?p=10), means accurate, clear, complete, and unbiased.
  - (4) **Relevant.—** The term “relevant”, when used with respect to statistical information, means processes, activities, and other such matters likely to be useful to policymakers and public and private sector [data](/usc/44/3502.md?p=16) users.

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 115–435, title III, § 302(a), Jan. 14, 2019, 132 Stat. 5546.)

## Notes

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Section effective 180 days after Jan. 14, 2019, see section 403 of Pub. L. 115–435, set out as an Effective Date of 2019 Amendment note under section 306 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.