State and local leaders at Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) agencies have been increasingly focused on using administrative data from TANF and other agencies to better assess how well programs are working, inform policies and practices, and improve the lives of families with low incomes. Economic mobility through employment retention and advancement is of particular interest to TANF leaders, but administrative data on TANF recipients’ earnings are often difficult to access except for the purpose of investigating noncompliance. This MDRC toolkit was created to help TANF professionals develop more robust, data-driven practices using administrative data on earnings.

Skills are emerging as a valuable new currency in the labor market, challenging traditional degree-based hiring practices. This Jobs for the Future resource delves into catalytic opportunities to drive the adoption of skills-based models and unlock the full potential of workers, including:

1. Connecting data systems
2. Improving data tools
3. Addressing trust issues
4. Accelerating narrative change
5. Aligning siloed skill movements

Government agencies collect administrative data in their day-to-day activities, primarily to support program operations. This information is used less often as a research tool or fully harnessed for its evidence-building potential. ACF’s TANF Data Innovation (TDI) project supported innovation and efficiency within the TANF program by expanding its use of its administrative data. This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation brief describes TDI’s efforts to transform federal TANF and employment data into an integrated resource for program management and evidence building.

This Administration for Children and Families report provides data for fiscal year (FY) 2016 through FY 2021 and presents information regarding TANF expenditures and caseloads, work participation and earnings, the characteristics and financial circumstances of TANF recipients, TANF performance measures, interactions between TANF and child support, as well as specific provisions of state TANF programs. In addition, this report documents current family self-sufficiency and stability-related research, provides national data on non-marital births, and presents child poverty statistics.

The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) has posted the fiscal year (FY) 2022 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) financial data tables, national and state pie charts.

• In FY 2022, combined federal TANF and state maintenance-of-effort (MOE) expenditures and transfers totaled $31.3 billion. Across the United States in FY 2022:
  •  23.0 percent of TANF and MOE funds was used for basic assistance,
  • 8.1 percent was used for work, education, and training activities; and
  • 15.5 percent was used for child care (including funds transferred to the Child Care Development Fund).
• 30 states used less than half of their TANF and MOE funds on the combination of basic assistance; work, education, and training activities; and child care.
  • 34 states spent less than 20 percent of their TANF and MOE funds on basic assistance.
  • 42 states and the District of Columbia spent less than 15 percent of their TANF and MOE funds on work, education, and training activities.
• From FY 2021 to FY 2022, the amount of funds used for basic assistance increased by $366 million and child care decreased by $58 million. The amount of funds used for work, education, and training activities increased by $211 million.

View the financial data tables, national and state pie charts for more information on how TANF and MOE funds were used in FY 2022. 

State pie charts will be published in the coming weeks.

The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) hosted a webinar to provide an overview of the revisions to instructions for TANF data report (Forms ACF-199 and ACF-209), with a focus on key, substantive changes. The changes made to the TANF Data Report instructions are intended to streamline the data collection and eliminate unnecessary data elements. The instructions were also revised to clarify confusing instructions and improve data quality. OFA hopes this session will help states and territories more efficiently and accurately report data on their TANF caseloads, beginning with the first quarter FY 2024 data, due February 14, 2024.

Please review the recording here.

The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 introduced changes that require states to report on specific employment and education outcomes for people after they stop receiving TANF cash assistance.  Mirroring the Department of Labor's Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act programs, these measures cover employment, employment retention, employment earnings, and attainment of a high school degree. This Urban Institute fact sheet is a resource for states, federal staff, and agency leaders implementing the new law.  Drawing insights from the 2018 report called Measuring Employment Outcomes in TANF, the fact sheet helps explain the challenges and opportunities of measuring and interpreting employment outcomes.

This toolkit, a product from the TANF Data Innovation project, offers practical guidance to agencies on how to create a culture of evidence as a routine part of government operations. The material included was sourced from interviews with practitioners who have successfully built sustainable data use into their everyday practices. The tools were developed to help agencies build the culture and infrastructure needed to apply data analysis routinely, effectively, and accurately. While it was initially developed for State TANF agencies, many strategies may be useful for individuals in a range of agencies, where the challenges and impact are similar.