Skip to content

The Department of Commerce is the federal agency that supports American business, trade, and economic measurement. It collects data on the population and the economy, sets technical standards, promotes exports, regulates the sale of sensitive technology abroad, protects inventions, forecasts the weather, and helps communities develop local economies. Its work touches businesses, researchers, and households alike.

97articles
7topics
October 3last updated

An independent team explaining how government works

GovFacts is a nonpartisan site that makes government concepts, policies and programs easier to understand and use.

Referenced by Brookings, CNN, Forbes, Fox News, Pew Research, Snopes, The Hill and USA Today.

The Webby-recognized AI behind our articles »

All Articles on Department of Commerce

Understanding the Winter Storm Severity Classification System

The National Weather Service's Winter Storm Severity Index (WSSI) provides a way to understand not just if winter weather is coming, but how significant…

18 Min Read

Steps to Becoming a Certified Weather Spotter

When severe weather threatens, trained weather spotters provide crucial ground-truth observations that help meteorologists issue more accurate and timely warnings. These volunteers serve as…

15 Min Read

Sign Up to Receive Severe Weather Alerts

This guide explains how to sign up for weather alerts, which systems work best for different situations, and how to make sure you never…

32 Min Read