1660-0105 - Supporting Statement A - 2025 04 22 clean

April 22, 2025

Supporting Statement for
Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions

OMB Control Number: 1660-0105

Title: National Household Survey on Disaster Preparedness

Form Number(s):

1. FEMA Form FF-008-FY-21-103 (formerly 008-0-15), National Household Survey on Disaster Preparedness (Telephone);

2. FEMA Form FF-008-FY-21-104, National Household Survey on Disaster Preparedness (Web)

General Instructions

A Supporting Statement, including the text of the notice to the public required by 5 CFR 1320.5(a)(1)(iv) and its actual or estimated date of publication in the Federal Register, must accompany each request for approval of a collection of information. The Supporting Statement must be prepared in the format described below, and must contain the information specified in Section A below. If an item is not applicable, provide a brief explanation. When Item 17 or the OMB Form 83-I is checked “Yes”, Section B of the Supporting Statement must be completed. OMB reserves the right to require the submission of additional information with respect to any request for approval.

Specific Instructions

A. Justification

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection. Attach a copy of the appropriate section of each statute and regulation mandating or authorizing the collection of information. Provide a detailed description of the nature and source of the information to be collected.

The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) (Pub. L. 93-288, as amended) (42 U.S.C. §§5195-5195(a)) identifies the purpose of emergency preparedness “for the protection of life and property in the United States from hazards.” It directs that the Federal Government “provide necessary direction, coordination, and guidance” as authorized for a comprehensive emergency preparedness system for all hazards. Emergency preparedness is defined as all “activities and measures designed or undertaken to prepare or minimize the effects of a hazard upon the civilian population…” The “conduct of research” is among the measures to be undertaken in preparation for hazards.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Strategic Plan 2020-2024 includes Goal 5 to “strengthen preparedness and resiliency.” The first objective (5.1) of this goal is to “build a national culture of preparedness” with a sub-objective to “improve awareness initiatives to encourage public action to increase preparedness. Similarly, in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) 2022-2026 Strategic Plan, Goal 3 is to “promote and sustain a ready FEMA and prepared nation.”

Presidential Policy Directive-8 (PPD-8) directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to “coordinate a comprehensive campaign to build and sustain national preparedness, including public outreach and community-based and private sector programs to enhance national resilience, the provision of Federal financial assistance, preparedness efforts by the Federal Government, and national research and development efforts.”

The Post Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act (PKEMRA) (Pub. L. 109-295) (6 U.S.C. §749(a)) requires the FEMA Administrator, in coordination with the National Council on Disability and the National Advisory Council, to establish a comprehensive system to assess, on an ongoing basis, the Nation’s prevention capabilities and overall preparedness, including operational readiness.

In response to the charge to FEMA, and to the DHS and FEMA strategic priorities, FEMA manages programs to improve the public’s knowledge and actions for preparedness and resilience. Information from this collection will be used to track changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to preparedness in the general public. This information collection will be in the form of a public opinion survey administered to a sample of American adults across the nation. The nature of the information collected will focus on people’s attitudes, behaviors, and motivations related to disaster preparedness and disaster risk.

2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used. Except for a new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collection. Provide a detailed description of: how the information will be shared, if applicable, and for what programmatic purpose.

The Individual and Community Preparedness Division analyzes and uses data collected in the two versions of the National Household Survey on Disaster Preparedness, FEMA Form FF-008-FY-21-103 (formerly 08-0-15) (Telephone) and FEMA Form FF-008-FY-21-104 (Web), to identify progress and gaps in individual and community preparedness and to better understand the motivational factors and barriers to preparedness that people face. The survey measures the public’s knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors relative to preparing for disasters. This information is used by the Individual and Community Preparedness Division and FEMA components to tailor messaging and public information efforts, community outreach, and strategic planning initiatives to more effectively improve the state of individual preparedness and participation across the country. The findings are compiled in a report that is circulated internally to DHS and FEMA officials as well as made available to the public on the FEMA website, OpenFEMA (https://www.fema.gov/about/openfema/data-sets/national-household-survey).

In the past, this information has been used to provide information to each of the FEMA regions and identified jurisdictions to develop targeted strategies for educating the public in their respective areas of responsibility. Selected data and trends have also been used for strategic planning and performance metrics for DHS and FEMA. Data from this survey has been used for a Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) metric collected by FEMA to track the nation’s preparedness: “percent of adults that took multiple preparedness actions at their workplace, school, home, or other community location in the past year.” Most recently, the survey results informed the selection of FEMA’s National Preparedness Month theme in order to address a major gap in individual preparedness for a demographic community demonstrated by the data.

3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection. Also describe any consideration of using information technology to reduce burden.

Usability Testing has been conducted on this collection. As result, an increase of 32 hours has been recognized and included as an update to the collection.

All information is collected via electronic means using web-based surveys (or if needed, via a computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) system). For the web-based surveys, information is captured through people’s electronic devices (computers, tablets, mobile phones, etc.). No information is collected, recorded, or submitted on paper. Web-based surveys are used in order to minimize time and effort to survey participants, and to streamline the administration of the survey.

4. Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes described in Item 2 above.

Comparable data are not currently being collected. This is one of very few surveys administered by the Federal Government to collect information on disaster preparedness. Other surveys related to preparedness in the United States do not include adequate information on individual attitudes, knowledge and behaviors related to disaster preparedness and/or are outdated or don’t include trending data. The National Household Survey on Disaster Preparedness is also dissimilar to other existing surveys in that it is more comprehensive. Lastly, the survey is unique in that it provides a continuous source of consistent information that is tracked for progress trending over many years (from 2007 until the present) and provides sufficient data to inform work at national, regional, and community levels.

5. If the collection of information impacts businesses or other small entities (Item 5 of OMB Form 83-I), describe any methods used to minimize.

This collection of information does not impact small businesses or other small entities, as all respondents are individuals and households.

6. Describe the consequence to Federal/FEMA program or policy activities if the collection of information is not conducted, or is conducted less frequently as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

Relevant FEMA programs and policies will not include or be based on the most current preparedness information, and the metrics for key strategic areas will be unavailable unless this survey is administered regularly with tracking maintained. As a result, these programs and policies will lack an inclusive approach, that is also evidence-based and comprehensive, to achieve their respective missions.

7. Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner (See 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2)):

1. Requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly.

This information collection does not require respondents to report information more than quarterly.

2. Requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it.

This information collection does not require respondents to prepare a written response in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it.

3. Requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document.

This information collection does not require respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document.

4. Requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records for more than three years.

This information collection does not require respondents to retain records (other than health, medical, government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records) for more than three years.

5. In connection with a statistical survey, that is not designed to produce valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of study.

This information collection contains a statistical survey that is designed to produce valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of study.

6. Requiring the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB.

This information collection does not use a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB.

7. That includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority established in statue or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use.

This information collection does not include a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by established authorities or policies.

8. Requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secret, or other confidential information unless the agency can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information’s confidentiality to the extent permitted by law.

This information collection does not require respondents to submit trade secrets or other confidential information.

8. Federal Register Notice:

1. Provide a copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the agency’s notice soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB. Summarize public comments received in response to that notice and describe actions taken by the agency in response to these comments. Specifically address comments received on cost and hour burden.

A 60-day Federal Register Notice inviting public comments was published on October 4, 2024, at 89 FR 80910. No comments were received.

A 30-day Federal Register Notice inviting public comments was published on April 22, 2025, at 90 FR 16879. The public comment period is open until May 22, 2025.

2. Describe efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported.

The Individual and Community Preparedness Division has consulted with survey methodologists, practitioners, and academic organizations in the design and methodologies for this data collection. Recommendations on frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting format, and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported came from their experience as well as industry best practices.

3. Describe consultations with representatives of those from whom information is to be obtained or those who must compile records. Consultation should occur at least once every three years, even if the collection of information activities is the same as in prior periods. There may be circumstances that may preclude consultation in a specific situation. These circumstances should be explained.

Members of the general public were consulted, through cognitive interviews, by the Individual and Community Preparedness Division in the design of an earlier version of this survey. Cognitive interviews were conducted with fewer than nine individuals to assess clarity of specific questions. The survey has also been modified since the last collection to allow for a more detailed exploration of knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. In addition, experts in survey data collection were consulted to advise on various collection strategies.

9. Explain any decision to provide any payments or gift to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees.

Survey respondents may receive nominal compensation in the form of gift cards or points towards gift cards in exchange for their participation in an online survey panel. This is a generally accepted practice to maintain panelists’ participation over time and to avoid attrition of panel members. The value of their compensation is typically small and meant to provide a small incentive for their time spent completing the surveys.

10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents. Present the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

A Privacy Threshold Analysis (PTA) was approved on April 26, 2024.

Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) coverage for this collection was determined to not be needed. 

System of Records Notification (SORN) coverage for this collection was determined to not be needed.

11. Provide additional justification for any question of a sensitive nature (such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs and other matters that are commonly considered private). This should include the reasons why the agency considers the questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken to obtain their consent.

The following questions will be asked to accurately capture respondents’ gender identity in a holistic and inclusive manner:

1. “What sex were you assigned at birth, on your original birth certificate?”

2. “What is your current gender?”

This dual-question approach for capturing sex and gender is based on guidelines from the National Academies of Sciences¹ for measuring gender identity and White House Recommendations on the Best Practices for the Collection of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Data on Federal Statistical Surveys². Respondents will have the option to opt-out of answering these questions by selecting “Prefer not to answer” or “Don’t know” as a response to these questions.

The following questions will be asked to capture respondents’ perceived identity as part of historically underserved community groups:

1. “Do you, personally, self-identify as LGBTQIA+?”

2. “Do you consider yourself affiliated with or a member of an organized religion or spiritual practice?”

   1. “What religion or spirituality are you a member of or affiliated with?”

   2. “Do you consider yourself to be a religious minority?”

Respondents will have the option to opt-out of answering these questions by selecting “Prefer not to answer” or “Don’t know” as a response to these questions.

FEMA considers these questions necessary to facilitate nuanced analysis of differences in attitudes and behaviors related to disaster preparedness by gender, LGBTQIA+ identity, and religious identity. Members of demographic minority populations and/or historically undeserved community groups may face disproportionate burdens and/or unique challenges when dealing with disasters. FEMA’s 2022-2026 Strategic Plan Goal 1 is to “instill equity as a foundation of emergency management.” Supporting objectives 1.2 (“remove barriers to FEMA programs through a people first approach”) and 1.3 (“achieve equitable outcomes for those we serve”) identify the ways in which FEMA plans to achieve Goal 1. The data collected through these questions help the agency in meeting these objectives by providing relevant data about the needs, challenges, and barriers to disaster preparedness for several underserved communities.

12. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. The statement should:

1. Indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated for each collection instrument (separately list each instrument and describe information as requested). Unless directed to do so, agencies should not conduct special surveys to obtain information on which to base hour burden estimates. Consolation with a sample (fewer than 10) of potential respondents is desired. If the hour burden on respondents is expected to vary widely because of differences in activity, size, or complexity, show the range of estimated hour burden, and explain the reasons for the variance. Generally, estimates should not include burden hours for customary and usual business practices.

FEMA Form FF-008-FY-21-103 (formerly 008-0-15), National Household Survey on Disaster Preparedness (Phone): is estimated to have 1 respondent times 1 response per year* for 1 total annual response (1 × 1 = 1). It is estimated that each response will require 60 minutes (or 1 burden hour) to complete, therefore 1 responses times 1 hours equals 1 total annual burden hours (1 x 1 = 1).

*The phone form is included only as a backup data collection format in case a future survey vendor is unable to collect responses entirely via a web survey. No responses are anticipated, but the minimum of one response for one burden hour is included for ROCIS.

FEMA Form FF-008-FY-21-104, National Household Survey on Disaster Preparedness (Web): is estimated to have 3,750 respondents times 1 response per year* for 3,750 total annual responses (3,750 × 1 = 3,750). It is estimated that each response will require 20.5 minutes (or 0.3417 burden hours) to complete, therefore 3,750 responses times 0.3417 hours equals 1,281 total annual burden hours (3,750 × 0.3417 = 1,281).

*The total respondent pool is 7,500 people and each respondent is expected to take the survey once, but the survey will only be conducted every other year. Therefore, the total annual number of responses per year (3,750) is half the total potential respondent pool (7,500).

After conducting usability testing there is a 32 hour increase in burden on the OMB inventory.

2. If this request for approval covers more than one form, provide separate hour burden estimates for each form and aggregate the hour burdens in Item 13 of OMB Form 83-I.

Please see our response for 12a above and 12c below.

3. Provide an estimate of annualized cost to respondents for the hour burdens for collections of information, identifying and using appropriate wage rate categories. NOTE: The wage-rate category for each respondent must be multiplied by 1.45 (1.61 for State and local government employees) ³ and this total should be entered in the cell for “Avg. Hourly Wage Rate.” The cost to the respondents of contracting out to paying outside parties for information collection activities should not be included here. Instead this cost should be included in Item 13.

Estimated Annualized Burden Hours and Costs
Type of Respondent	Form Name / Form No.	No. of Respondents	No. of Responses per Respondent	Total No. of Responses	Avg. Burden per Response (in hours)	Total Annual Burden (in hours)	Avg. Hourly Wage Rate	Total Annual Respondent Cost
Individuals and Households	National Household Survey on Disaster Preparedness (phone) / FEMA Form FF-008-FY-21-103 (formerly 008-0-15)	1	1	1	1	1	$45.65	$46
Individuals and Households	National Household Survey on Disaster Preparedness (web) / FEMA Form FF-008-FY-21-104	3,750	1	3,750	0.3417	1,281	$45.65	$58,478
Total		3,751		3,751		1,282		$58,524

Note: The “Avg. Hourly Wage Rate” for each respondent include a wage multiplier to reflect a fully-loaded wage rate.

“Type of Respondent should be entered exactly as chosen in Question 3 of the OMB Form 83-I.

Instruction for Wage-rate category multiplier: Take each non-loaded “Avg. Hourly Wage Rate” from the BLS website table and multiply that number by 1.45. For example, a non-loaded BLS table wage rate of $42.51 would be multiplied by 1.45, and the entry for the “Avg. Hourly Wage Rate” would be $61.64.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, the May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates wage rate for All Occupations (SOC 00-0000) is estimated to be $31.48 per hour. ⁴ Including the wage rate multiplier of 1.45, the fully loaded wage rate is $45.65. Therefore, the estimated burden hour cost to respondents is estimated to be $58,524 annually ($45.65 × 1,282 burden hours + $1 due to rounding).

13. Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of information. The cost of purchasing or contracting out information collection services should be a part of this cost burden estimate. (Do not include the cost of any hour burden shown in Items 12 and 14.)

Annual Cost Burden to Respondents or Recordkeepers
Data Collection Activity/Instrument	*Annual Capital Start-Up Cost (investments in overhead, equipment, and other one-time expenditures	*Annual Operations and Maintenance Costs (such as recordkeeping, technical/professional services, etc.)	Annual Non-Labor Cost (expenditures on training, travel, and other resources)	Total Annual Cost to Respondents
N/A	$0	$0	$0	$0
Total	$0	$0	$0	$0

The cost estimates should be split into two components:

1. Operation and Maintenance and purchase of services component. These estimates should take into account cost associated with generating, maintaining, and disclosing or providing information. Include descriptions of methods used to estimate major cost factors including systems and technology acquisition, expected useful life of capital equipment, the discount rate(s), and the time period over which costs will be incurred.

There are no operation or maintenance costs associated with this information collection.

2. Capital and Start-Up Cost should include, among other items, preparations for collecting information such as purchasing computers and software, monitoring sampling, drilling and testing equipment, and record storge facilities.

There are no capital or start-up costs associated with this information collection.

14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal Government. Also, provide a description of the method used to estimate cost, which should include quantification of hours, operational expenses (such as equipment, overhead, printing and support staff), and any other expense that would have been incurred without this collection of information. You may also aggregate cost estimates for Items 12, 13, and 14 in a single table.

Annual Cost to the Federal Government
Item	Cost ($)
Contract Costs: Primary Contractor Labor = $358,500 Survey Vendor Subcontractor Labor & Sampling Frame = $256,000 Translations = $2,800 Total per bi-annual data collection = $617,300 [Total annual cost = $308,650]	$308,650
Staff Salaries1,2: 1 GS 14 Step 5 ($157,982) at 1% time x 1.45 loaded wage rate = $2,291 1 GS 13 Step 5 ($133,692) at 6% time x 1.45 loaded wage rate = $11,631 1 GS 11 Step 5 ($93,798) at 1% time x 1.45 loaded wage rate = $1,360	$15,282
Facilities [cost for renting, overhead, etc. for data collection activity]	$0
Computer Hardware and Software [cost of equipment annual lifecycle]	$0
Equipment Maintenance [cost of annual maintenance/service agreements for equipment]	$0
Travel (not to exceed)	$0
Total	$323,932
1 Office of Personnel Management 2024 Pay and Leave Tables for the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA locality. Available online at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/pdf/2024/DCB.pdf. Accessed January 2, 2024. 2 Wage rate includes a 1.45 multiplier to reflect the fully-loaded wage rate.

15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in Items 13 or 14 of OMB Form 83-I in a narrative form. Present the itemized changes in hour burden and cost burden according to program changes or adjustments in Table 5. Denote a program increase as a positive number, and a program decrease as a negative number.

A “Program increase” is an additional burden resulting from a Federal Government regulation action or directive (e.g., an increase in sample size or coverage, amount of information, reporting frequency, or expanded use of an existing form). This also includes previously in-use and unapproved information collection discovered during the ICB process, or during the fiscal year, which will be in use during the next fiscal year.

A “Program decrease” is a reduction in burden because of: (1) the discontinuation of an information collection, or (2) a change in an existing information collection by a Federal Agency (e.g., the use of sampling (or smaller samples), a decrease in the amount of information requested (fewer questions), or a decrease in reporting frequency).

An “Adjustment” denotes a change in burden hours due to factors over which the government has no control, such as population growth, or in factors which do not affect what information the government collects or changes in the methods used to estimate burden or correction of errors in burden estimates.

Itemized Changes in Annual Burden Hours
Data Collection Activity/Instrument	Program Change (hours currently on OMB inventory)	Program Change (new)	Difference	Adjustment (hours currently on OMB inventory)	Adjustment (new)	Difference
National Household Survey on Disaster Preparedness / FEMA Form FF-008-FY-21-103 (formerly 008-0-15) (phone)	625	1	-624	0	0	0
National Household Survey on Disaster Preparedness / FEMA Form FF-008-FY-21-104 (web)	625	1,281	656	0	0	0
Total	1,250	1,282	32	0	0	0

Explain: The total annual burden estimate for completion of the data collection represents an increase (+32 hours) from the current information collection. The total survey sample size increased from 7,000 to 7,500 (+500 respondents). The expected data collection modality is anticipated to be entirely web and the average time to complete the survey is expected to be 20.5 minutes (0.3417 hours) based on real world averages. This represents a nearly two-fold increase per survey from the weighted average time to complete the survey previously in 10.7 minutes (0.1786 hours) based on the prior mix of survey modalities (phone and web) and instrument forms (national and hazard/regional). These changes increase the total estimated burden hours per data collection. However, the survey is expected to be fielded every other year, rather than annually, which would cut the total burden estimate in half, resulting in an annual burden estimate (1,281) slightly higher than previously (1,250).

Itemized Changes in Annual Cost Burden
Data Collection Activity/Instrument	Program Change (cost currently on OMB inventory)	Program Change (new)	Difference	Adjustment (cost currently on OMB inventory)	Adjustment (new)	Difference
National Household Survey on Disaster Preparedness / FEMA Form FF-008-FY-21-103 (formerly 008-0-15) (phone)	$23,469	$46	-$23,423
National Household Survey on Disaster Preparedness / FEMA Form FF-008-FY-21-104 (web)	$23,469	$58,478	$35,009
Total	$46,938	$58,524	$11,586	$0	$0	$0

Explain: The total annual burden estimate for completion of the data collection represents an increase of $11,586 from the current information collection. The total survey sample size increased from 7,000 to 7,500 (+500 respondents) contributing to increasing burden costs. Burden costs also increased because of an increase in the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2023 occupational wage rate.

16. For collections of information whose results will be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication. Address any complex analytical techniques that will be used. Provide the time schedule for the entire project, including beginning and ending dates of the collection of information, completion of report, publication dates, and other actions.

Survey fielding will generally take place for a period of about six weeks sometime in the spring (February – May) of a given year. Analysis of the survey responses will occur immediately following data collection, generally lasting through the summer, followed by completion of the report (summary of findings), which is typically published in the fall or winter. The data/survey results will be published and made available to the public using FEMA’s data management system and online library, OpenFEMA, following the completion of the report (the data produced and published contain no personally identifiable information). The survey findings will be presented internally to FEMA leaders and may be presented to the public, published in relevant journals, or shared with other appropriate audiences.

The survey results will be examined for data quality, which will include consistency checks to examine skip patterns, data dependencies, and missingness across variables. Statistical raking will be used to weight the data based on U.S. population metrics for the following variables: age, geographic division, disability, education, ethnicity, homeownership, income, race, and sex/gender. Data imputation will be conducted on variables needed for sample weighting in instances where values are missing or cannot be aligned to U.S. Census Bureau data on population metrics. Univariate analyses (e.g., number of responses, proportions, frequencies, and crosstabs) of weighted response data will primarily be used to analyze findings for the total sample and to investigate differences across subsets of the sample.

17. If seeking approval no to display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain reasons that display would be inappropriate.

FEMA will display the expiration date for OMB approval of this information collection.

18. Explain each exception to the certification state identified in Item 19 “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submission,” of OMB Form 83-I.

This collection does not seek exception to “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions”.

1 National Academies of Sciences, Measuring Sex, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation for the National Institutes of Health: https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/measuring-sex-gender-identity-and-sexual-orientation-for-the-national-institutes-of-health (last accessed 7/17/2024).

2 Office of Management and Budget, Recommendations on the Best Practices for the Collection of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Data on Federal Statistical Surveys: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/SOGI-Best-Practices.pdf (last accessed 7/17/2024).

3 Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, Table 1.  Available at https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ecec_03132024.pdf. Accessed March 13, 2024. The national wage multiplier is calculated by dividing total compensation for all workers of $45.42 by wages and salaries for all workers of $31.29 per hour yielding a benefits multiplier of approximately 1.45. For State and local government employees the wage multiplier is calculated by dividing total compensation for State and local government workers of $60.56 by Wages and salaries for State and local government workers of $37.53 per hour yielding a benefits multiplier of approximately 1.61.

4 Information on the mean wage rate from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics is available online at: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes_nat.htm

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