States, cities, and counties regularly collect and utilize administrative and statistical information in support of local policy uses, but these efforts have largely been undertaken with relatively little attention being given to coordinating those efforts with the actions of federal statistical agencies or across states. While the central tendency for federal statistical efforts is to focus on concerns that exist across all states, asking the same questions and using the same methods in all states and regions, the central tendency for states and localities that collect statistical information is to solve problems specific to their jurisdictions, which may complement or supplement available federal data. However, states, cities, and counties also
face common issues leading to similar needs for statistical information to help make local area and regional decisions.

The seminar showcases efforts and barriers to building an infrastructure and integrating data from different state and local government administrative sources and the potential implications for regional and national statistics. Presenters will discuss their work using and integrating state and local data from different states and areas, as well as efforts to coordinate across different areas to conduct multisite research and evaluation. The presenters will describe the policy issues they are addressing, the available data they have used, and the challenges they have faced in integrating data. The panel members will discuss issues of data governance, access, capacity, successful models that can be applied elsewhere, and implications for national statistics.