U.S. Census Bureau Newsroom: All the latest news releases and statements from the bureau, as well as upcoming events and helpful information for the media.
Below is a list of articles from national and local media.
Indiana House Committee Makes Small Changes To Redistricting Maps (Indiana Public Media)
09/20/2021
A panel of lawmakers made minor changes to state House and Congressional redistricting maps Monday. The House Elections Committee then voted to send the maps to the full House.
This Is How The White Population Is Actually Changing Based On New Census Data (NPR)
08/22/2021
Some news coverage of the latest 2020 census results may have led you to think the white population in the U.S. is shrinking or in decline. The actual story about the country's biggest racial group is more complicated than that.
Mapping America's racial population shifts over the last decade (The Washington Post)
08/13/2021
Rapid growth among certain racial and ethnic groups means the nation is becoming more diverse more quickly than expected. Census data from 2020 shows America is growing, but not equally.
Where the Racial Makeup of the U.S. Shifted in the Last Decade (The New York Times)
08/12/2021
Nearly every county in the United States became more diverse in the last decade as the nation recorded its first drop in the white population in 2020, according to detailed data on race and ethnicity released by the Census Bureau on Thursday. More than a third of the nation now lives in counties where people of color are a majority.
What The New Census Data Can - And Can't - Tell Us About People Living In The U.S. (NPR)
08/12/2021
A new portrait of the racial and ethnic makeup of the U.S. is set to be unveiled Thursday when the Census Bureau releases the largest trove of results from the 2020 count so far. The basic demographic information about how the country's residents self-identify will be used to redraw voting districts, enforce antidiscrimination laws and inform research and policymaking for the next decade.
It Only Takes a Few People to Change Your State's Congressional Seats (The New York Times)
05/01/2021
Every 10 years, a state's population determines how many seats it gets in Congress, and sometimes, a small number of people can make a big difference. Here's a look at just how many people it can take to change - or almost change - representation in Washington.
Census 2020: First results show near historically low population growth and a first-ever congressional seat loss for California (Brookings)
04/26/2021
The first results of the 2020 census are finally here, definitively showing that the 2010s saw the second-lowest population growth in the nation's history.
Census To Release 1st Results That Shift Electoral College, House Seats (NPR)
04/26/2021
The first set of results from the 2020 census will be released Monday, the U.S. Census Bureau has confirmed. The federal statistical agency's acting director, Ron Jarmin, is expected to report new state population counts to the public at a 3 p.m. ET virtual news conference, and the numbers will also be posted on the bureau's website.
Biden To Make Historic Census Director Pick With Latinx Statistician Rob Santos (NPR)
04/13/2021
In a historic move, President Biden is naming Robert Santos, one of the country's leading statisticians and the American Statistical Association's president, as his intended nominee to head the U.S. Census Bureau.
Census data delay scrambles plans for state redistricting (AP News)
03/28/2021
Stymied by delayed census data needed for redistricting, some states are considering postponing their 2022 primaries or turning to other population estimates to start the once-a-decade task of redrawing voting districts used for U.S. House and state legislative elections.
Federal judge nixes Ohio's push for early redistricting data (AP News)
03/24/2021
A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the state of Ohio that tried to get the U.S. Census Bureau to provide data used for drawing congressional and legislative districts ahead of its planned release.
Census delays are scrambling the once-in-a-decade redistricting that will shape the 2022 midterms (Insider)
02/23/2021
The COVID-19 pandemic's deleterious impact on the 2020 Census is continuing to bleed over into 2021, and may narrow the chances for Democrats to hang onto their slim House majority.
Calendar timing means virus deaths won' be seen in census (AP News)
02/06/2021
The human loss from the coronavirus will not be reflected in the 2020 census because of a matter of timing, which could save a congressional seat for New York but cost Alabama one.
Census Numbers For Dividing Up House Seats Delayed Until April 30, Bureau Says (NPR)
01/27/2021
Disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic and last-minute changes by the Trump administration, the U.S. Census Bureau announced Wednesday that the release of the first results of the 2020 census will likely be delayed by four months.
Biden Administration Tables Trump's Citizenship Data Request For Redistricting (NPR)
01/22/2021
The U.S. Census Bureau has stopped working on a Trump administration-initiated project to produce citizenship data that could have politically benefited Republicans when voting districts are redrawn.
Time, transparency needed as Biden inherits frazzled census (AP News)
01/21/2021
Battered by criticism that the 2020 census was dangerously politicized by the Trump administration, the U.S. Census Bureau under a new Biden administration has the tall task of restoring confidence in the numbers that will be used to determine funding and political power.
Biden Ends Trump Census Policy, Ensuring All Persons Living In U.S. Are Counted (NPR)
01/20/2021
One of President Biden's first executive actions has reversed former President Donald Trump's unprecedented policy of altering a key census count by excluding unauthorized immigrants. The change ensures that the U.S. continues to follow more than two centuries of precedent in determining representation in Congress and the Electoral College.
Trump's Census Director To Quit After Trying To Rush Out 'Indefensible' Report (NPR)
01/18/2021
The Trump-appointed director of the U.S. Census Bureau is stepping down close to a week after whistleblower complaints about his role in attempting to rush out an incomplete data report about noncitizens became public.
Census Bureau Stops Work On Trump's Request For Unauthorized Immigrant Count (NPR)
01/13/2021
The Census Bureau has stopped trying to produce a count of unauthorized immigrants, ending the agency's role in Trump's bid to alter census numbers used for reallocating House seats, NPR has learned.
Trump's Census Director Is Trying To Rush Out Data On Noncitizens, Watchdog Says (NPR)
01/12/2021
Whistleblowers told the Census Bureau's watchdog that Director Steven Dillingham's pushing them to make a report that would be "statistically indefensible" and could "tarnish" the bureau's reputation.
Data snags cause Trump to miss giving Congress census data (AP News)
01/11/2021
The Trump administration missed a deadline for giving Congress numbers used for divvying up congressional seats among the states, and government attorneys said Monday that the figures would not be ready until early March, almost a month later than previously disclosed.
Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration To End Census Counting On Oct. 15 (NPR)
10/13/2020
The Trump administration can end counting for the 2020 census early after the Supreme Court approved a request to suspend a lower court order that extended the count's schedule.
Trump Officials Ask Supreme Court To Block Order That Extends Census Counting (NPR)
10/07/2020
The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow counting for the 2020 census to end soon.
Mail Delays Could Hurt The Census, Too (NPR)
08/20/2020
Under pressure from the Trump administration to deliver 2020 census results by the end of this year, the U.S. Census Bureau has set a cutoff date for receiving paper forms for the once-a-decade head count, NPR has learned.
'Not Enough Time': Census Workers Fear Rushing Count Could Botch Results (NPR)
08/11/2020
With 50 days left to count every person living in the U.S., Census Bureau workers around the country are facing what many consider an increasingly impossible mission.
Census Door Knocking Cut A Month Short Amid Pressure To Finish Count (NPR)
07/30/2020
The Census Bureau is cutting short critical door-knocking efforts for the 2020 census amid growing concerns among Democrats in Congress that the White House is pressuring the bureau to wrap up counting soon for political gain, NPR has learned.
Census Bureau Expands Early Door Knocking For Count To 6 More States (NPR)
07/08/2020
The list of places where a masked worker from the Census Bureau may be knocking on front doors later this month is getting longer. On Wednesday, the bureau announced where the next phase of census door knocking is set to start on July 23 for households that have not yet filled out a 2020 census form.
US census stirs uncertainty for those displaced by virus (AP News)
05/10/2020
It's not meant to be a trick question, but many filling out their 2020 U.S. census form struggle to answer: How many people were staying at your home on April 1? The pandemic has fostered sudden, unexpected dislocation, making a typically easy question confusing for the newly displaced.
In 13 States, Census Bureau To Resume Hand-Delivering Forms, Hiring Workers (NPR)
05/04/2020
Some workers for the 2020 census are heading back to rural communities this week in more than a dozen states as part of a phased-in restart of field operations for the national head count that was suspended in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Census Bureau site goes live as counting begins in earnest (AP News)
03/10/2020
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- The 2020 census is off and running for much of America now. The U.S. Census Bureau made a soft launch of the 2020 census website on Monday, making its form available online. On Thursday, the Census Bureau will begin mailing out notices far and wide.
The 2020 Census relies on each household to count every person in America (USA Today)
03/10/2020
In mid-March, homes across the country will begin receiving invitations to complete the 2020 Census. Once the invitation arrives, you should respond for your home in one of three ways: online, by phone, or by mail. The 2020 Census is the latest once-a-decade count undertaken by the United States to determine who lives where so that everyone is represented fairly in government and resources are distributed to communities across the country.
What you need to know about the 2020 census (IUPUI News)
03/03/2020
With a new decade upon us, it's time for the United States' 10-year roll call -- the census.
All IN / By the Numbers: The 2020 Census (WFYI)
02/10/2020
Every 10 years the census gives us an updated snapshot of the people who make up America, with details about their age, race, gender and income. The federal government uses this data to determine how much funding to give each state, funding used for things like urban planning, rural development and education. But it's not easy to make sure everyone is counted. We talk to census organizers and advocates about what it takes to make it happen, and what's at stake.
Project Showcases Local Artists' Work To Promote 2020 Census (WFYI News)
01/27/2020
Indianapolis leaders want every resident counted in the 2020 census, and a project called Count Me Indy showcases local artists' work to promote it. WFYI's Taylor Bennett spoke to one of the selected artists Aaron Scamihorn and Count Me Indy's campaign manager Callie Kennington.
Projection shows Florida and North Carolina among states that could gain congressional seats after Census (CNN)
12/31/2019
Newly released government population estimates suggest the presidential battlegrounds of Florida and North Carolina could make gains in the Electoral College when congressional seats are reapportioned based on the 2020 Census, a demographer's analysis finds.
Census Bureau Struggles To Add Staff For 2020's Census (National Public Radio)
10/22/2019
The federal government hopes to hire around half a million workers by next spring to complete the 2020 census. But it's running into trouble with low unemployment and background-check delays.
Diverse Fort Wayne committee to assist with Census 2020 count (Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly)
10/18/2019
A group of volunteers appointed by Mayor Tom Henry is charged with ensuring the Census 2020 count is as complete and accurate as possible.
Majority of Americans plan to participate in 2020 census, with some caveats (CNN)
10/18/2019
More than four-in-five adults report they will definitely or probably participate in the 2020 Census, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center. But there are a few demographic groups -- mainly young people and minorities -- who are hesitant to take part.
Most U.S. adults intend to participate in 2020 census, but some demographic groups aren't sure (Pew Research Center)
10/18/2019
As the 2020 U.S. census approaches, Americans overwhelmingly are aware of it, and more than eight-in-ten (84%) say they definitely or probably will participate, a new Pew Research Center survey finds. Still, 16% express at least some uncertainty about responding, with higher shares saying this among some demographic groups.
2020 Census National Tele-Town Hall to Feature Activists and Experts on How to Prevent an Undercount (National Urban League)
10/16/2019
The 2020 Census could fail to count more than 4 million people, most of them Black and Latino. The National Urban League and our civil rights allies are determined not to let this happen. And you can help.
Census Bureau Fights To Prevent Spread Of Misinformation (National Public Radio)
09/13/2019
The Census Bureau is asking the public to email them with any rumors they hear about the upcoming 2020 census. The government is trying to stop misinformation about the national count from spreading.
Gary Launches 2020 Census Campaign (The Chicago Crusader)
09/11/2019
With Census Day less than eight months away, the City of Gary announced an official countdown to Census 2020. The launch included the release of the city's unifying message to encourage participation among all residents through the simple phrase: Checking Our List and Checking It Twice--Get Counted 2020.
Snubbed by Texas lawmakers, local officials look to children for help to avoid a census undercount (The Texas Tribune)
08/27/2019
Hoping to avoid an undercount of thousands of Hispanic and black Texans, Dallas, Harris and Hidalgo counties believe getting children engaged can bring families to participate in the 2020 census.
Flashpoint: Every Hoosier Child Counts! The Importance of the Census 2020 Count (Tribune Star)
08/23/2019
An accurate count of children during the 2020 Census will be critical to the strength of Indiana's families, schools, and communities for years to come.
Census committee holds first meeting, focusing on counting everyone (Tribune Star)
08/20/2019
Preparation for the 2020 census campaign has begun with the goal of counting all Hoosiers and promoting the census's ease and confidentiality. "You give away more information about yourself on Google when you're searching," Carol Rogers, deputy director of the Indiana Business Research Center and the governor's liaison to the census, told the Indiana Complete Count Committee at its kick-off meeting Monday. "It's easy and it's safe. It's kind of a no-brainer."
Here's Why The Census Bureau May Be In Your Neighborhood Before The 2020 Count (National Public radio)
08/12/2019
Starting this month, tens of thousands of Census Bureau workers are knocking on doors across the country to make sure the bureau has a complete list of addresses of where people live in the U.S.
Census Bureau Seeks to Hire Non-U.S. Citizens Ahead of 2020 (U.S. News & World Report)
08/06/2019
Special exemptions to federal hiring laws allow the agency to temporarily employ noncitizens as officials attempt to obtain an accurate count of people living in immigrant communities.
Evansville census campaign mobilizes to count every person with federal money at stake (Evansville Couier and Press)
08/05/2019
EVANSVILLE -- With millions of dollars at stake, city officials are mobilizing for a large-scale public campaign to squeeze every last completed 2020 census form out of low-income areas and minority enclaves. Coures said committee members -- the local NAACP, HOLA Evansville and black churches, among others -- will engage with constituencies that may not be reached by U.S. Census Bureau advertising, digital marketing and public relations campaigns.
2020 Census: Undercounting Kids Could Limit Indiana's Federal School Funding (WFYI Indianapolis)
07/18/2019
The U.S. census determines billions of dollars in federal funding for Indiana -- including for schools -- and education leaders across the state are on a mission to make sure every Hoosier child gets counted in 2020.
Census outreach should focus on hard-to-count populations (NACo)
07/15/2019
The biggest obstacles to a complete count are the different "hard to count" populations that can be found all over the country, even without the question that many, including the Census Bureau itself, projected would suppress response rates, even among Amerian citizens. They are minority groups, children under the age of five, rural residents, urban residents, non-native English speakers and there's no one-size-fits-all formula to reach them.
Trump Backs Off Census Citizenship Question Fight (National Public Radio)
07/11/2019
President Trump announced Thursday he would sign an executive order to obtain data about the U.S. citizenship and noncitizenship status of everyone living in the United States. In a Rose Garden ceremony, Trump said he would drop efforts to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census. Instead, his executive order will direct all U.S. agencies to provide the Department of Commerce all information they have on U.S. citizenship, noncitizenship and immigration status.
Justice Department Changes Legal Team Behind Census Citizenship Question Case (National Public Radio)
07/09/2019
The Justice Department is asking federal judges to approve a complete turnover in the team of lawyers involved in the ongoing legal battle over the citizenship question the Trump administration wants to add to the 2020 census forms. If the requests are approved by federal judges in New York and Maryland, not a single career Justice Department attorney who has been defending the administration's efforts for months will continue working on the cases.
Trump Redoubles Efforts To Include Citizenship Question On 2020 Census (WBUR Radio)
07/04/2019
Here & Now's Lisa Mullins speaks with Emily Bazelon (@emilybazelon), staff writer for the New York Times Magazine and a fellow at Yale Law School, about the latest on President Trump's renewed efforts to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census.
Citizen question may be back on 2020 census as Trump administration reverses course again (Los Angeles Times)
07/03/2019
The Trump administration reversed course again on the controversial issue of putting a citizenship question on the 2020 census, as Justice Department lawyers told a federal court Wednesday that they had been "instructed" to try to find a way to add the question, despite statements from the administration on Tuesday that they were giving up the effort.
Trump Administration To Print 2020 Census Without Citizenship Question (National Public Radio)
07/02/2019
The Trump administration has decided to print the 2020 census forms without a citizenship question, and the printer has been told to start the printing process, Justice Department spokesperson Kelly Laco confirms to NPR.
Nearly $18B on the line for Indiana in 2020 census count (Indianapolis Business Journal)
06/28/2019
Nearly $18 billion is on the line for Indiana--roughly $2,710 per person. That's how much in annual federal funding the state receives based on population data from the U.S. Census Bureau. And those population numbers are about to change. The Census is preparing to launch its 2020 count, and the data collected will determine how much the state could receive for the next 10 years. The fewer people counted, the less money allocated to Indiana's 6.7 million residents.
Trump Threatens Census Delay After Supreme Court Leaves Citizenship Question Blocked (National Public Radio)
06/27/2019
President Trump says he is looking into delaying the 2020 census, hours after the Supreme Court decided to keep a question about citizenship off the form to be used for the head count. Trump tweeted that he has asked lawyers whether they can "delay the Census, no matter how long, until the United States Supreme Court is given additional information from which it can make a final and decisive decision on this very critical matter."
Trump asserts executive privilege over documents in 2020 census fight (PBS NewsHour)
06/12/2019
President Donald Trump has asserted executive privilege over documents that were subpoenaed by Congress related to the Trump administration's decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, the Justice Department said Wednesday.
Census Fight Grows as House Panel Backs Contempt and Trump Asserts Privilege (New York Times)
06/12/2019
A House committee voted on Wednesday to recommend that two cabinet secretaries be held in contempt of Congress, hours after President Trump invoked executive privilege to block disclosure of crucial documents on the decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.
The Census Bureau is hiring in Jeffersonville. Here's how to get a job (Louisville Journal Courier)
06/12/2019
Kristie Daniels has been hiring people to work at the U.S. Census Bureau's National Processing Center in Jeffersonville, Indiana, since she started her job in September 2018. Daniels, the lead recruiter for the Jeffersonville center, said there are many job vacancies at the NPC -- the hub for all processing of census data nationwide -- that need to be filled in preparation for the 2020 census.
2020 Census Could Undercount Millions of Minority Americans: Report (Newsweek)
06/06/2019
The 2020 census could discount up to 4 million largely minority Americans, while over-counting white, upper-income citizens, according to a new report.
Latino commission delivers dire prediction on 2020 census, slams administration (NBC News)
05/22/2019
Americans for the first time will be able to respond to the census online next year, but there is skepticism that the change will lead to a more accurate count, particularly for Latinos.
Trump's Proposed Census Citizenship Question Bucks Centuries Of Precedent (NPR)
05/22/2019
Many in the news media, including NPR, have often referred to 1950 as the last time that the Census Bureau asked all households about U.S. citizenship status. A closer look at the 1950 census, however, shows that it wasn't a simple yes-or-no process.
States and Cities Need Accurate Census Count (State Net Capitol Journal)
05/17/2019
The 2020 census will impact every state, city and county in the United States. That's because population is a major factor in formulas used by the federal government to dispense $800 billion annually to states and local governments under 300 different programs.
2020 Census To Be Hand-Delivered In Disaster Recovery Areas (National Public Radio)
05/03/2019
The Census Bureau is planning to send workers to personally visit every household in Paradise, Calif.; Mexico Beach, Fla.; and Puerto Rico, which are still recovering from wildfire and hurricanes.
Census 2020: How to Count Hard-to-Count Communities (NCL CitiesSpeak)
05/03/2019
The census is one of the most basic functions of our federal system, requiring a count of every person in the United States every ten years. A precise count matters for city leaders because the results provide meaningful data for municipal operations as well as inform the allocation of more than $800 billion dollars of federal funding to state and local governments.
How the Census Changed America (The New Yorker)
05/01/2019
The simple act of enumeration created data processing, led to the establishment of the National Archives, and rooted a rootless people.
Most Americans support citizenship question on census form, poll finds (The Hill)
04/30/2019
A majority of voters in a new poll say that a question about U.S. citizenship should be included in the 2020 census, an issue currently before justices on the Supreme Court.
Eric Holder worried Supreme Court will allow Trump administration to 'weaponize' 2020 census (CNN)
04/26/2019
Eric Holder, a former attorney general for the Obama administration, writes in a new op-ed that he's "deeply concerned" the Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to "weaponize" the 2020 US census.
What the Supreme Court Said About the 2020 Census Citizenship Question (CityLab)
04/23/2019
In oral arguments, conservative justices asked about data science, while liberals asked what the citizenship question was really for.
Supreme Court appears likely to allow citizenship question in 2020 census (NBC News)
04/23/2019
The Supreme Court seemed willing Tuesday to let the Trump administration add a question about citizenship to the 2020 census form that goes to every U.S. household, despite claims from populous states that it would actually make the count less accurate.
A year before the 2020 census, experts share four key insights (Brookings)
04/23/2019
On April 1, 2019, national experts gathered at Brookings for a joint event with the National League of Cities (NLC) Institute to discuss what the 2020 census means not only for the nation as a whole, but also for the major cities and metropolitan areas on the front lines of America's demographic change.
Trump Administration's Census Citizenship Question Plans Halted By 3rd Judge (NPR)
04/05/2019
The Trump administration's plans to add a hotly contested citizenship question to the 2020 census have suffered another major blow in the courts.
What's new for the 2020 Census? (Washington Post)
04/02/2019
Every 10 years, the U.S. government counts every person living in the country. The nation's founders mandated the decennial census in the Constitution.
Indianapolis launches campaign to get every resident counted on the 2020 census (Indianapolis Star)
02/20/2019
Indianapolis leaders on Tuesday launched a campaign to encourage widespread participation in the once-every-decade census. The Count Me INdy program, co-lead by La Plaza President and CEO Miriam Acevedo Davis and Indianapolis Urban League President and CEO Tony Mason, has an aim of reaching city residents who have traditionally not been counted in the census.
Supreme Court agrees to take up 2020 census case (CNN)
02/15/2019
The Supreme Court said Friday that it would take up a case this term to decide whether the Trump administration can add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.
Judge declines to block citizenship question from the 2020 census on privacy grounds (CNN)
02/09/2019
A federal judge ruled late Friday she is unconvinced of an immediate need to block a citizenship question from the 2020 census over privacy concerns.
The Challenge of America's First Online Census (Wired)
02/06/2019
On a frigid morning in Washington, DC, last week, four staffers from the United States Census Bureau stood shoulder to shoulder on a stage, smiling widely as they soaked in the whoops, whistles, and eager applause from the crowd seated before them.
Census Bureau to proceed with nationwide test of citizenship question (CNN)
02/01/2019
The Census Bureau said Friday that it will move forward with plans to test a citizenship question in a nationwide survey this summer, while federal courts weigh the legality of the question.
Cities Are Bracing for 2020 Census Chaos (CityLab)
01/22/2019
The first federal court decision about the Trump administration's efforts to add a citizenship question to the 2020 U.S. Census did not leave much room for debate.
Judge Orders Trump Administration To Remove 2020 Census Citizenship Question (NPR)
01/15/2019
A federal judge in New York has ruled against the Trump administration's decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.
After Botching 2020 Census Contract, Officials Pick New Printer For $115 Million (NPR)
01/08/2019
After months of controversy and uncertainty surrounding a botched contracting process, the Government Publishing Office has announced a new printer for the 2020 census.
Senate Confirms Trump's Census Bureau Director Nominee Steven Dillingham (NPR)
01/02/2019
The Senate has voted to fill the top post at the U.S. Census Bureau with President Trump's nominee Steven Dillingham.
How The 2020 Census Citizenship Question Ended Up In Court (NPR)
11/04/2018
Early in the Trump administration, senior officials discussed bringing back a controversial question topic to the census that the federal government has not asked all households about since 1950: U.S. citizenship status.
For Next U.S. Census, Cameras in Space Replace Boots on the Ground (Wall Street Journal)
10/10/2018
It will take 90,000 fewer workers--and lots of satellite imagery--to determine where to mail forms.
Census Citizenship Question Lawsuits Move Toward Supreme Court Showdown (NPR)
10/09/2018
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has temporarily blocked lower court orders for depositions by two senior Trump administration officials in the multiple lawsuits over the new question about U.S. citizenship status on the 2020 census.
Bankrupt Contractor Will Get $5.5 Million For Not Printing 2020 Census Forms (NPR)
07/30/2018
With less than two years before the start of the 2020 census, the U.S. government is back on the market for a new contractor to print forms and letters for the upcoming national head count.
Census Bureau Stops Plans For 2020 Census Advisory Committee (NPR)
07/25/2018
The U.S. Census Bureau has stopped plans to form a new committee of advisers for the upcoming 2020 census, according to a letter obtained by NPR.
Commerce Secretary Grew Impatient Over Census Citizenship Question, Emails Reveal (NPR)
07/24/2018
A few months after he started leading the Commerce Department, Secretary Wilbur Ross became impatient. As a powerful decider for the U.S. census, he had a keen interest in adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census as soon as possible.
Citizenship Question Controversy Complicating Census 2020 Work, Bureau Director Says (NPR)
07/11/2018
The head of the U.S. Census Bureau says the controversy over a new question about U.S. citizenship on the 2020 census is complicating its preparations to conduct a national head count.
Judge lets challenge to census citizenship question go forward (Chicago Sun Times)
07/03/2018
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that a legal challenge to the 2020 census can go forward, saying there was an appearance of "bad faith" behind the Trump Administration's disputed decision to add a question about citizenship.
A short history of the citizenship question (Indiana Business Review)
06/26/2018
The 2020 census has been in the news recently because of the decision to re-incorporate the so-called “citizenship question” on the short form.
The Unpredictable Political Effects of 2020 Census Tinkering (The Atlantic)
06/25/2018
It isn't hard to discern a pattern in the way the Trump administration is planning to conduct the 2020 Census, in the same way that it's not hard to discern the racial animus against Hispanics that undergirds the president's moves on immigration.
Documents Shed Light On Decision To Add Census Citizenship Question (NPR)
06/10/2018
Why did Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who oversees the census, approve adding a hotly contested citizenship question to 2020 census forms?
Time for Another Head Count (The Slate Group)
05/16/2018
Technology could help make sure the 2020 census doesn't miss so many people. The 2010 census found that the U.S. population had reached 308 million people. But it managed to miss a whole lot of others: about 2.1 percent of black Americans and 1.5 percent of Hispanics nationally, together accounting for some 1.5 million people. Young children were among the most undercounted.
Keeping politics out of the census is much harder than it sounds (The Conversation)
04/04/2018
Until they're actually confronted with the form that drops through their letterbox once every ten years, most people don't usually give censuses much thought. But as governments gear up for a global round of censuses in 2020, the seemingly uncontroversial act of counting populations is already making the news and provoking heated debate.
How cartoonists reacted to the White House's Census 2020 citizenship question (Washington Post)
04/03/2018
Does the White House have 20/20 vision when it comes to changing the 2020 Census?
Mapping the Threat of a Census Disaster in 2020 (City Lab)
03/30/2018
The GOP seems to be betting that damage from a major undercount will be isolated to Democratic-leaning cities. But it's not that simple.
Census 2020: Local Africans, African-Americans consider how to respond to questions about origins (St. Louis American)
03/30/2018
The 2020 census is still two years away, but there is plenty of buzz about what the federal survey will ask, including questions about citizenship and country of origin.
Trump's Census policy could boomerang and hurt red states as well as blue states (Brookings Institution)
03/30/2018
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross's decision this week to "reinstate" a question on citizenship status in the 2020 decennial Census (it was last asked in 1950), almost certainly will vastly increase the number of people who ignore or evade the 2020 decennial Census.
Liz Peek: Census 2020 -- Liberals, get over it, we must ask about citizenship! (Fox News)
03/28/2018
Liberals are outraged over the Trump administration's decision to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census. The query, they say, may deter some people who are in the country illegally from participating in the decennial headcount. So what?
NAACP sues Trump administration over 2020 census concerns (Washington Examiner)
03/28/2018
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is suing the Trump administration in an effort to prevent the upcoming census from undercounting African-Americans and other people of color, resulting in inequities in representation and a loss of federal dollars.
Census 2020: US adds controversial citizenship question (BBC)
03/28/2018
The 2020 US Census will ask respondents whether or not they are US citizens for the first time since 1950.
Editorial: The Trump Administration Sabotages the Census (New York Times)
03/27/2018
In a last-minute move that would give Republicans an advantage in maintaining control of the House of Representatives, the Trump administration is reinstating a question about citizenship to the 2020 census.
Opioid crisis, illegal immigration set to sabotage 2020 Census (Washington Examiner)
03/23/2018
On the eve of the $15 billion 2020 Census, used to draw congressional districts and carve up the federal funding pie, new warning signs are flashing about a "perfect storm" set to crash the population count.
2020 Census Will Ask Black People About Their Exact Origins (NPR)
03/13/2018
For the 2020 census, the U.S. Census Bureau is changing how it will ask black people to designate their race. Under the check box for "Black or African American," the bureau is adding a new space on the census questionnaire for participants to write in their non-Hispanic origins.
Preparing for the 2020 Census, One Address at a Time (New York Times)
03/09/2018
For the last census, in 2010, the Census Bureau sent 542 questionnaires to addresses on Grand Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan with the usual instructions to fill out the forms and mail them back. Not a single form was completed and returned, according to an analysis of census data.
Budget increase for 2020 census falls short, advocates say (Science)
02/12/2018
President Donald Trump's 2019 budget request gives the U.S. Census Bureau a $2 billion increase to help plan the 2020 census. But advocates say that is still not enough to ensure that there is a fair and accurate head count.
2020 Census To Count Deployed Troops At Home Bases, Prisoners At Facilities (NPR)
02/08/2018
The U.S. Census Bureau has announced it will change the way it counts troops deployed overseas, while keeping its policy on counting prisoners for the upcoming national headcount in 2020.
Mayors to Census: Don't Blow This (City Lab)
02/08/2018
More than 160 mayors issued a joint letter to Wilbur Ross, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, outlining several deep concerns with the 2020 Census on Wednesday. Their ask was straightforward: Please take it seriously.
Groups raise concerns about move to ask about citizenship on the Census (USA Today)
02/05/2018
Congressional lawmakers, mayors and civil rights activists are ramping up efforts to urge federal officials to reject a request to include a controversial question about citizenship in the upcoming Census.
2020 Census Will Ask White People More About Their Ethnicities (NPR)
02/01/2018
The race question is going to get complicated for many people who identify as white on the U.S. census.
Adding Citizenship Question Risks 'Bad Count' For 2020 Census, Experts Warn (NPR)
01/10/2018
Every decade, the U.S. Census Bureau asks some personal questions for the national headcount required by the constitution. But since 1960, one topic that hasn't come up for all U.S. residents is citizenship.
The Big Data Tech Inside the 2020 Census (Datanami)
01/09/2018
The US Census Bureau is adopting the latest data processing technology to help with its upcoming 2020 Census, including the use of a large Hadoop cluster, real-time stream data processing, and advanced mapping and visualization products.
Census 2020 doesn't need citizenship question (USA Today)
01/08/2018
Every 10 years, the government conducts a Census of people living in the USA. And every 10 years, at least in recent memory, there is controversy.
Hostility to Census question is overblown (USA Today)
01/08/2018
By asking the Census Bureau to provide a question on citizenship, the Trump administration is simply trying to get accurate information on the American population.
Potential census question on citizenship stirs fears of dampened participation (NBC News)
01/05/2018
Months before the Justice Department asked that a citizenship question be included in the next census, researchers were hearing concerns about the survey's confidentiality, based largely on the administration's immigration policies.
Census Bureau, in home stretch for 2020 count, lacks permanent leadership (Federal News Radio)
01/04/2018
With two more years left to go, it may not sound like it, but the Census Bureau finds itself in the home stretch of preparations for the 2020 count. But for more than half a year, the agency has lacked a permanent leadership.
Should 2020 census ask Californians about their citizenship? (San Diego Union-Tribune)
01/03/2018
A request from the Justice Department seeking to ask people about their citizenship in the upcoming 2020 census has drawn attention and criticism in recent days after ProPublica reported on it last week.
The Race to Be Census-Ready (Governing.com)
01/03/2018
Every time the U.S. Census is conducted, New York City makes for an especially tough place to count. Its diverse demographic groups typically respond at lower rates than most of the country. The large immigrant population often requires language assistance. And just getting up-to-date addresses for the city's many transient residents is a problem in itself.
Foresight is 2020, and state demographer says census planning is lagging (Prior Lake American)
12/28/2017
Susan Brower's original career plan was to sew costumes for theater productions. But after she took a class at the Humphrey School, she became fascinated with the statistical study of human populations.
New Census Figures Show Oregon Still On Track For 6th Congressional Seat (OPB)
12/20/2017
Oregon continues to have a strong prospect of gaining a sixth congressional seat after the 2020 Census, according to new population estimates released Wednesday.
With 2020 Census Looming, Worries about Fairness and Accuracy (New York Times)
12/09/2017
Census experts and public officials are expressing growing concerns that the bedrock mission of the 2020 census -- an accurate and trustworthy head count of everyone in the United States -- is imperiled, with worrisome implications.
2020 Census funding concerns trickle down to Deep East Texas community planners (KTRE 9)
12/04/2017
In just three days, Americans can access the most recent demographics collected annually through the U.S. Census American Community Survey.
2020 Census May Ask White People To Get Specific About Their Ethnicity (NPR)
11/30/2017
"White" has been a constant of the U.S. census. Other racial categories for the national headcount have come and gone over the centuries. But "white" has stuck ever since U.S. Marshals went door-to-door by horseback for the first census in 1790.
How The U.S. Defines Race And Ethnicity May Change Under Trump (All Things Considered)
11/23/2017
Some major changes may be coming to how the U.S. government collects data about the country's racial and ethnic makeup.
Leading Trump Census pick causes alarm (Politico)
11/21/2017
The Trump administration is leaning toward naming Thomas Brunell, a Texas professor with no government experience, to the top operational job at the U.S. Census Bureau, according to two people who have been briefed on the bureau's plans.
A High-Stakes Headcount: Philanthropy and the 2020 Census (Inside Philanthropy)
11/15/2017
We're still several years out from 2020, but funders are already preparing for a census that experts believe will be unusually fraught by challenges like underfunding, cyber security threats, partisan sabotage and growing mistrust of government.
Republicans could lose congressional seats if Census 2020 goes wrong (Washington Post)
10/12/2017
Alabama is about as red as a state can get. The state hasn't voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1976. Right now, one of the biggest concerns among top GOP leaders in Alabama is losing a congressional seat.
Census 2020: How it's supposed to work (and how it might go terribly wrong) (Washington Post)
10/11/2017
Right now, the Census Bureau is attempting to gather the addresses of every person living in America in preparation for Census 2020. Think of it like Santa Claus "making a list and checking it twice."
Democracy and lots of money are at stake for New Mexico in the upcoming census (NM Political Report)
10/11/2017
Since 1790, the U.S has been constitutionally required to count every person living in the United States every ten years. As you can imagine, this effort, known as the decennial census, is a massive and complicated endeavor.
NAACP lawsuit alleges Trump administration will undercount minorities in 2020 Census (Washington Post)
10/06/2017
The NAACP is suing the Trump administration over what it sees as inadequate preparation for the 2020 Census, a problem the civil-rights group claims is likely to lead to severe undercounting of minorities.
Map helps states spot hard-to-count districts for 2020 census (StateScoop)
09/25/2017
A new tool is hoped to avoid undercounts that can leave some regions at risk of political and financial misrepresentation.
Vanita Gupta: Bipartisan congressional action required to prevent Census 2020 disaster (Worcester Sun)
09/19/2017
Sept. 17 was Constitution Day, a day to lift up the centrality of our founding document, which, among other things, mandates a decennial census as a foundation of our government structure.
Trump's hard line on immigration could threaten the accuracy of the census (Vox)
09/02/2017
The Trump administration has used the most of its federal authority to crack down on immigrants in the United States. But when it comes to the 2020 census, it will also be tasked with counting them.
The 2020 Census may be wildly inaccurate, and it matters more than you think (Brookings Institution)
08/31/2017
The decennial Census is a genuinely powerful institution in American life. I didn't understand its impact until I oversaw the Census Bureau as it prepared and carried out the 2000 decennial Census, when I was Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs.
The Trump administration isn't ready for the 2020 Census (The Washington Post)
08/24/2017
Opinion article by Vincent P. Barabba and Kenneth Prewitt, former directors of the Census Bureau
Watchdogs worry Census 2020 headed for inaccurate results, higher price tag (Federal News Radio)
08/24/2017
Phil Sparks, co-director of The Census Project, told Federal News Radio that the Census Bureau needs full funding if it hopes to produce an accurate count that will guide more than a half-trillion-dollars in federal funding to states.
Here's Why The Census Started Counting Latinos, And How That Could Change In 2020 (WFDD 88.5)
08/03/2017
In this week's episode of the Code Switch podcast, Mora tells the fascinating story of how, in the 1970s, Latino advocacy groups successfully lobbied the federal government to create a separate category for counting Hispanics and Latinos. Before then the government had classified those people simply as white.
Save the Census (New York Times)
07/17/2017
An administration uninterested in staffing federal agencies, at war with facts and eager to help Congress cut the budget is further endangering a cornerstone of American democracy: the duty to count all who live here.
GSA helping Census Bureau lease spaces so it can count faces (Federal Times)
07/17/2017
The General Services Administration has moved forward on a Request for Lease Proposal to procure spaces for employees of the Census 2020 initiative.
Could A Census Without A Leader Spell Trouble In 2020? (NPR)
07/15/2017
John Thompson was appointed by President Barack Obama to head the U.S. Census Bureau in 2013 and had worked there for 27 years before running it. So the announcement in May that he was resigning, smack in the middle of a one-year term extension, came as a surprise to many, including census watchers.
GSA to Acquire Office Spaces to Meet Census 2020 Requirements (ExecutiveGov.com)
07/14/2017
The General Services Administration plans to procure area census offices across the country to help fulfill a Census Bureau requirement for short-term leases as part of the Census 2020 program.
2020 Census Local Update of Census Addresses Operation to Begin (U.S. Census Bureau)
06/29/2017
Starting in July, governments around the country will start the process of ensuring the accuracy of their address lists through the 2020 Census Local Update of Census Addresses operation. LUCA is a voluntary, once-a-decade opportunity for governments to add, correct or delete addresses on the lists and maps used to conduct the decennial census.
New Acting Director To Oversee 'High Risk' 2020 Census (NPR)
06/29/2017
A new leader is set to temporarily take over the U.S. Census Bureau after Director John Thompson retires from the post on Friday.
Why the Census Matters Now More Than Ever (TIME)
05/18/2017
The question of how many men, women and children live within our borders seems an academic one. A factoid, easily answered by the U.S. Census Bureau, which, by constitutional decree, updates its tally every decade using an army of 635,000 "enumerators" who are employed to walk door-to-door, clipboards in hand.
Is the census heading for a crisis? (Politico)
05/13/2017
The FBI wasn't the only agency that lost its boss on Tuesday: John Thompson, director of the Census Bureau, abruptly announced he was resigning at the end of June. His surprise exit leaves the bureau not only without a leader in the middle of the run-up to the 2020 census, but also without a permanent deputy director to step in for him -- and no direct supervisor in place at the Department of Commerce, the agency that oversees the Bureau and its massive once-a-decade national survey.
Bad News for Everyone! The 2020 Census Is Already in Trouble (Wired)
05/11/2017
Given the sudden canning of FBI head James Comey on Tuesday, don't feel bad if you didn't hear that US Census Bureau director John H. Thompson announced his resignation the same day. And given that the Comey situation may plunge American politics into a 21st century Watergate, you probably don't care, either. Well, you should.
Census director resigns as 2020 tally looms (PBS NewsHour)
05/10/2017
The director of the people-counting Census Bureau is leaving his job just as the agency steps up its once-a-decade tally, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.
Why Did the U.S. Census Director Resign? (The Atlantic)
05/10/2017
The Department of Commerce announced on Tuesday that Census Bureau Director John H. Thompson will step down at the end of June, creating the possibility of a leadership void at the bureau in the run-up to undertaking the 2020 Census.
U.S. Census director resigns amid turmoil over funding of 2020 count (Washington Post)
05/09/2017
The director of the U.S. Census Bureau is resigning, leaving the agency leaderless at a time when it faces a crisis over funding for the 2020 decennial count of the U.S. population and beyond.
Failing the census? 2020 count could face 'catastrophic' funding issue, officials say (The Advocate)
04/18/2017
The decennial Census count has been a staple of American life since the early days of the republic, but at a time when public funding is being slashed and scientific data questioned, Census-watchers fear the 2020 count is heading toward a crisis.
Census 2020: Dispute over LGBT questions is really about federal spending (Fox News)
03/31/2017
The U.S. Constitution requires a census be taken every ten years. And while the Founders may have had great foresight, it's doubtful they saw this simple command -- mostly to determine representation in Congress -- would become mired in controversy over sexual politics.
White House wants Census to ask about immigration status
The 2020 Census May Not Get Enough Money to Count All Latinos (NBC News)
03/30/2017
Already underfunded, the 2020 census could miss Latinos, African Americans and certain other populations at disproportionately high rates because the 10 percent hike in funding for it requested by the Trump administration is not enough, civil rights groups said Thursday.
Run-Up To Census 2020 Raises Concerns Over Security And Politics (NPR)
03/28/2017
About three years from now, the U.S. government is going to start asking some personal questions. The possible topics of those questions were released on Tuesday as part of the run-up to the 2020 Census, the national head count of every resident in the U.S. required by the Constitution every 10 years.
Census must reduce diversity to a few checkoffs (Federal News Radio)
03/02/2017
If good decision-making depends on good data, then a lot depends on exactly what data you gather and look at. Data generated by the Census Bureau affects congressional apportionment and where hundreds of billions of federal dollars go every year.
Sweeping design changes for 2020 U.S. Census (Directions Magazine)
02/08/2017
The 2020 Census includes sweeping design changes in four key innovation areas: using new methodologies to conduct address canvassing, optimizing self-response, reducing the nonresponse follow-up workload by incorporating administrative records and third-party data, and implementing technology to replace tasks traditionally conducted by humans.
Applaud U.S. Census for identifying jurisdictions for language assistance (Asian American Press)
12/07/2016
The Director of the U.S. Census Bureau on Monday issued a notice of determination identifying the jurisdictions subject to the language assistance provisions of Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act, which are available at 81 Federal Register 87532.
Census 2020 faces a long list of cybersecurity challenges (CyberScoop)
11/17/2016
The Census Bureau is in the process of leveraging the Internet for its 2020 population count. If that sounds like a futuristic and efficient dream, here's the nightmarish flipside: Cybersecurity.
Census Bureau launches device-as-a-service procurement for 2020 (FedScoop)
11/16/2016
The Census Bureau began its search Tuesday for a telecommunications vendor to supply the smartphones and mobile services necessary for door-to-door field operations during the 2020 decennial census, the director of the bureau said.
Y&R Wins A Big One: $415 Million Census 2020 Contract (MediaPost)
08/24/2016
Early Wednesday morning during a first half financial review with analysts, WPP CEO Martin Sorrell bemoaned the recent loss of two major accounts--Volkswagen and AT&T. His day ended much better with word that Young & Rubicam, one of the holding company's global agency networks was awarded an integrated communication contract for the 2020 Census.
State Lawmakers Get An Update On 2020 Census (WFYI)
08/17/2016
United States Census Bureau officials told state lawmakers Tuesday they hope to introduce more online data collection in the 2020 census.
Before 2020, Census explores new vendors to publish its stats (FedScoop)
08/15/2016
The Census Bureau is gathering information on its plans to transition to a new data dissemination system before the 2020 census.
Advocates urge Census Bureau to stop counting district prisoners as residents (Fedscoop)
07/07/2016
The U.S. Census Bureau has received more than 150 comments in the last year asking it to change how it counts prisoners for the 2020 census. Despite that, the bureau plans to stick to its 2010 method.
Putting Census 2020 to the Test (Fedscoop)
06/06/2016
The mobile transformation of data-gathering for the 2020 census could mark a turning point for the federal government, if it's done right.
Census settles hiring lawsuit over criminal records (CNN.com)
04/19/2016
The Census Bureau has reached a $15 million settlement in a class action lawsuit that alleged it discriminated against black and Latino workers who had criminal histories.
As Census Bureau preps for 2020, St. Louis will be a test site (St. Louis Public Radio)
04/17/2016
If you've ever wondered how the U.S. Census Bureau prepares to count the nation's population every 10 years, a new test being done in St. Louis offers some insight.
For 2020, Census Bureau plans to trade paper responses for digital ones (Pew Research Center)
02/24/2016
The 2020 census could be the first in which most Americans are counted over the internet. In fact, if all goes as planned, the Census Bureau won't even send paper questionnaires to most households.
Agreement puts Census Bureau back on track for planning 2020 headcount (Science)
12/18/2015
The omnibus spending agreement erases deep cuts made earlier this year to the U.S. Census Bureau that would have crippled planning for the 2020 census. The new funding level gives the agency, part of the Department of Commerce, a much better chance of conducting a less expensive and less burdensome decennial census.
Is the 2020 Census already in trouble? (Politico)
11/10/2015
The U.S. Census is one of the undisputed achievements of government, a 225-year tradition enshrined in the Constitution that draws America a fresh picture of itself every decade. But the last Census was a technical disaster, wasting $3 billion on new technology that never worked, and which the Census Bureau ended up scrapping entirely.
Census 2010 Participation Rates (Indiana Business Review)
06/24/2010
Given that high mail participation rates are correlated with more accurate data and lower costs, it is good to note that Indiana had one of the highest mail participation rates in the nation and many areas saw improvement relative to Census 2000.
Where the Racial Makeup of the U.S. Shifted in the Last Decade (The New York Times)
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Nearly every county in the United States became more diverse in the last decade as the nation recorded its first drop in the white population in 2020, according to detailed data on race and ethnicity released by the Census Bureau on Thursday. More than a third of the nation now lives in counties where people of color are a majority.