Matt Phan (he/him) is the President of Commerce PRIDE, the Department’s cross-bureau queer employee resource group. He has also been the Librarian with the Commerce Research Library for over five years, helping the Department with its diverse information needs. Specifically, he manages the library’s technology solutions, providing mission-critical information access. Through his proactive outreach...

Every ten years, the U.S. Census Bureau counts everyone in the United States on April 1. The U.S. Constitution mandates the enumeration to determine how to apportion the House of Representatives among the states. The 2021 American Community Survey gave people the option to identify a relationship as same sex. All demographic surveys collect information about same-sex couples. Responses from the...

Pride Month — observed each June — is both a celebration of progress for LGBTQI+ rights, and an opportunity to raise awareness of persistent challenges to those rights. President Biden’s proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month recognizes it as a time to “honor a movement that has grown stronger, more vibrant, and more inclusive with every passing year.”...

Geographic inequality has widened over the past four decades. The gap in incomes between richer places and poorer places has grown. Strikingly, geographic income inequality continued to climb in recent years even though many measures of overall income and wage inequality have narrowed somewhat as wage growth has been strongest for lower-wage workers . Rising geographic inequality suggests that...

June is National Ocean Month through a Presidential Proclamation , coinciding with World Ocean Day, celebrated annually on June 8th. While the ocean is well-known for its natural beauty and mysteries, it also provides practical benefits such as producing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide emissions, influencing global climate and weather patterns, providing sustainable sources of protein, and...

On Tuesday, June 13, 2023, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves will host a Business Diversity Convening of private sector leaders on corporate diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives as part of the first Access Summit: Unlocking Opportunities for All. The event will be open press. The event will bring leading companies and thought leaders together to discuss why...

Recalling the successful launch of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) in May 2022, on May 27, 2023, the IPEF partners met in Detroit, Michigan, for a ministerial meeting.  

Press Statement for the Trade Pillar, Clean Economy Pillar, and Fair Economy Pillar

Press Statement on the Substantial Conclusion of IPEF Supply Chain Agreement Negotiations

Fact Sheet

Today I had the opportunity to join our colleagues in raising the Pride flag as we celebrate the official start of Pride month. Pride Month is an opportunity to reflect on the incredible strength, perseverance, and progress of the LGBTQI+ community. It’s also our chance to honor the struggles of those who worked for decades to pave the way for the generations that followed them – brave individuals...