Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
Last updated
Short answer
The USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) is the economic research and statistics agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Its stated mission is to anticipate trends and emerging issues in agriculture, food, the environment, and rural America, and to conduct high-quality, objective economic research that informs public and private decision making. Researchers use it mainly as a source of reports, estimates, forecasts and datasets, not as a laboratory or a grant-making body (ERS, About ERS, read 2026-11-08).
Definition and scope
ERS was established in 1961; its predecessor, the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, was set up in 1922 (ERS, ERS history, read 2026-11-08). According to its About page, ERS publishes economic research reports and a suite of data products that includes estimates, forecasts, and economic and statistical indicators. It also produces the Amber Waves magazine and a daily Charts of Note feature.
ERS organises its work into six topic areas: Agricultural Economy, Food and Nutrition, Food Safety, Global Markets and Trade, Resources and Environment, and Rural Economy.
ERS is distinct from the USDA’s intramural research agency. For laboratory research and outside partnerships, see USDA ARS: what it is and how outside researchers partner with it. ERS is the place to look for economic and statistical questions about the food and farm system.
How researchers use ERS products in practice
The Food Access Research Atlas (FARA) shows how an ERS data product is defined and documented, and it is a useful model of what to check in any ERS dataset. Its documentation page (dated 2026-07-27, read 2026-11-08) specifies the following.
- Low-income criteria (New Markets Tax Credit definition): a poverty rate of 20 percent or greater, or a median family income at or below 80 percent of the state median, or, for metropolitan areas, at or below 80 percent of the metropolitan median.
- Distance thresholds: 0.5 and 1 mile for urban areas; 10 and 20 miles for rural areas, with urban areas defined by 2020 Census Urban Area boundaries.
- Vintages: the 2025 version uses the 2020 Decennial Census, the 2020-24 American Community Survey 5-year estimates, and store data from the STARS list as of June 2025. The 2019 version uses the 2010 Census and the 2014-18 American Community Survey.
Because the two vintages rest on different census geographies and survey years, results from them should not be compared without stating which version each came from.
How to cite ERS data
ERS gives a recommended citation for the atlas: “U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. (2026). Food Access Research Atlas (FARA).” The pattern is agency, year, product name. Copy the recommended form from the product page you used and state the vintage.
Types of ERS output
| ERS output | Description (ERS About page) |
|---|---|
| Economic research reports | Research reports published by ERS |
| Data products | Estimates, forecasts, and economic and statistical indicators |
| Food Access Research Atlas | A data product with the low-income and distance definitions above and 2025 and 2019 vintages |
| Amber Waves | ERS magazine |
| Charts of Note | Daily chart feature |
Where it matters for research and administration
Agricultural economics and food policy work often needs a documented official source for definitions and baselines. ERS has a Data Product Review Council (DPRC) that reviews data products against the ERS Data Quality Standards; its review listing runs from a Spring 2014 pilot through Summer 2025 (page updated 2026-09-02, read 2026-11-08). Reading a product’s documentation for definitions and vintage, and checking its quality-review listing, are practical steps before relying on it in a proposal or paper.
For related tools and context, see IMPLAN input-output modelling, what agronomy is, and HUD Fair Market Rents as another federal economic-data example.
Common misunderstandings
- ERS is not ARS. ERS does economic research and statistics; ARS is the USDA’s intramural scientific research agency.
- “Low income” is not one universal definition. FARA uses the NMTC criteria listed above; other programs define it differently.
- The newest version is not automatically comparable. The 2025 and 2019 atlas versions use different census and survey years.
FAQ
What does the USDA Economic Research Service do?
It conducts economic research and produces data products on agriculture, food, the environment and rural America, in six topic areas (ERS About page, read 2026-11-08).
When was ERS established?
In 1961, succeeding the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, which was set up in 1922 (ERS history page, read 2026-11-08).
How do I cite an ERS dataset?
Use the recommended citation on the product page; for the Food Access Research Atlas it takes the form agency, year, product name, as quoted above.
Sources
- ERS, About ERS: https://www.ers.usda.gov/about-ers (read 2026-11-08)
- ERS, ERS history: https://ers.usda.gov/about-ers/ers-history (read 2026-11-08)
- ERS, Food Access Research Atlas documentation: https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/documentation (read 2026-11-08)
- ERS, Data product quality reviews: https://ers.usda.gov/about-ers/policies-and-standards/data-product-quality/ers-data-product-quality-reviews (read 2026-11-08)
