Missing from the map: How the US Territories are left out of federal data

The United States collects extensive data on demographics and analysis across all 50 states, yet data from its territories remain inconsistent or incomplete. Federal agencies, including the Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics, have long faced logistical and funding barriers that limit the inclusion of Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the US Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands in national data systems. 

The result is a persistent federal data gap that affects how resources, funding, etc., are allocated and how effectively Washington can respond to territorial needs. According to the Joint Economic Committee, excluding US territories from federal data collection leaves policymakers with an incomplete picture, further contributing to the underrepresentation of the territories in congressional debates, policymaking, and legislative action. For instance, the authorizing statute for the Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t explicitly require the inclusion of US territories, resulting in partial coverage and inconsistencies in government decision-making. 

The root of the issue lies in jurisdictional differences: federal surveys such as the American Community Survey and the Current Population Survey often do not extend to US territories due to cost, distance, and differences in local administrative systems. 

Territorial governments commonly conduct their own censuses and labor surveys, but without standardized frameworks, the data cannot easily integrate with federal databases, leading to the federal territorial data gaps present in the American government. 

Per a 2024 Government Accountability Office report, of the 52 statistical products reported to the GAO by the National Agricultural Statistical Service, only one included the territories. Similarly, of the 21 products discovered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, none included American Samoa or the Northern Mariana Islands, while Puerto Rico was only included in four. 

The Joint Economic Committee states that inadequate federal data collection results in the underrepresentation of 3.6 million Americans living in these territories in the US Congress. Without data collection at the federal level, policymakers know less about essential factors in legislation development, such as job growth, unemployment, educational attainment, health insurance coverage, housing arrangements, nutrition, pregnancy mortality, drug and tobacco use, poverty, and veteran status. Some agencies have taken steps to close these gaps, however. The US Department of the Interior says that it has coordinated efforts with the Census Bureau and the Office of Management and Budget to explore a more unified approach to territorial data collection. Yet, reports from Georgetown University’s Center on Poverty and Inequality noted that progress has been slow, and this is largely due to how these agencies lack specific congressional mandates or appropriations that would allow the territories to be fully included. As a result of this, policymakers are left with incomplete evidence to support equitable funding formulas and infrastructure planning, leaving territorial residents with the data gap and underrepresentation we see today.