Statistical Policy Directives

Statistical Policy Directives (SPDs) are specialized guidance documents issued by the U.S. Chief Statistician at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs’ (OIRA) Statistical and Science Policy office that establish minimum quality standards for federal statistical agencies and their activities. These directives carry significant authority in defining how the federal government produces high quality statistical information for evidence-informed policymaking.

SPDs establish standards for quality and coordination of federal statistics in a variety of areas, including the following: 

• the fundamental responsibilities of federal statistical agencies and units 
• the release and dissemination of statistical products 
• uniform classifications for measurement of industries, occupations, and other sectors of society 

The standards set out by the SPDs support statistical agencies’ independence from political interference, establish confidentiality protections that enable collection of sensitive data, and set common standards that allow data integration and analysis across agencies.

The SPDs have developed in dialogue with legislation and administrative guidance such as the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2018 (CIPSEA) and the Federal Data Strategy (M-19-18), both informing and informed by them. Likewise, the SPDs have evolved out of prior standards over the years as the needs of statistical units have changed.

SPD 15 2024 Revision

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