Remarks by Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves at the Economists Roundtable in Puerto Rico

Thank you to the Association of Economists of Puerto Rico for hosting today. I look forward to discussing research opportunities to advance economic measurement and building statistical capacity by leveraging the newly established Federal Statistical Research Data Center (FSRDC) here in Puerto Rico.
People often think of the Department of Commerce as the Department of Business, but we’re much more than that. We’re the Department of data, science, technology, people, and communities.
Day-to-day funding and public policy decisions rely on data collected from the Census Bureau. For Puerto Rico, policymakers and key stakeholders often operate with a lack of comprehensive data about the Puerto Rican people and your economy.
There’s been a lot of deep interest in obtaining equitable access to measures and statistics for Puerto Rico and the FSRDC is an affirming step in the right direction.
Demographic and socioeconomic data is critical for data in evidence-driven decisions, but the Census Bureau faces many challenges in the archipelago, particularly the lack of data infrastructure — including updated standards, methodology, technical capacity and data practices. In most cases, the U.S. Census Bureau needs data inputs from states and local governments (i.e., they furnish the data to be included in national statistics), however, in many cases the Government of Puerto Rico is not able to provide the data – for many reasons, generally for lack of data quality or availability.
Both federal and local stakeholders have expressed deep interest in obtaining equitable access to measures and statistics for Puerto Rico, something more comparable to what the Census Bureau is able produce for the stateside.
When President Biden established the Puerto Rico Economic Dialogue in 2021, we developed four pillars with concrete actions and deliverables that the Census Bureau has a played a huge role in. Of these four pillars – strengthening human capital and workforce development, investing in infrastructure, building a diversified economy, and improving governance and data – the FSRDC is critical to accomplishing that fourth pillar.
Access to FSRDC data will enhance the statistical capacity on the island and enable local officials, industry leaders and third sector to make more informed, timely data-driven decisions. It will also allow local academics to address previously unanswerable research questions.
The Puerto Rico FSRDC will play a crucial role in enhancing the statistical capacity on the island, enabling local officials to make more informed, data-driven decisions, and allowing academics to explore critical research topics regarding the economy of Puerto Rico. As part of a network of 33 other centers across the United States, the PR FSRDC will contribute to deepening our understanding of the population and economy of the United States and its territories.
I look forward to a fruitful discussion.

Read the full report from the U.S. Department of Commerce: Read More