Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

October 1989

Developing statistics to meet society’s needs

Janet L. Norwood, Deborah P. Klein

Three historical illustrations show how Government agencies adapt to changing social and economic needs by developing new concepts and methods. As conditions in society have changed, new information needs have emerged, and new classification schemes and innovative approaches to the conceptual framework and the definitions within it have been developed and modified to meet those needs. This article discusses contributions of Federal agencies to statistical development.

Download PDF »