For the First Time, Government Asks Public for Input on Census Design

Recommendations from the public will help ensure that the Census Bureau is using the right tools and technology to reach all residents in the 2030 census.

• By Edward Graham
• August 30, 2022

House Chair Looks to Protect Census from Politicization

The legislation applies mostly to the decennial census, which the U.S. government undertakes every ten years.

• By Frank Konkel
• July 12, 2022

Census Launches Interactive Demographic Map

The tool aims to provide transparency on racial and income data across the country.

• By Alexandra Kelley
• April 12, 2022

How the U.S. Census Led to the First Data Processing Company 125 Years Ago – And Kick-Started America’s Computing Industry

• By David Lindsay Roberts, The Conversation
• December 2, 2021

Bill Would Criminalize Census Disinformation

Violators could be fined tens of thousands of dollars if passed.

• By Frank Konkel
• November 4, 2021

2020 Census May Have Missed More Than 1.6M Residents

New research from the Urban Institute found that minorities were likely underrepresented in the population count, leaving some states with a windfall of federal funding while others came up short.

• By Kate Elizabeth Queram
• November 3, 2021

The Census Bureau’s First Ever Data on LGBTQ+ People Indicates Deep Disparities

Sexual orientation and gender identity were added to the U.S. Census Bureau’s survey of the pandemic this summer — the first time a national government survey has captured the LGBTQ+ economic experience.

• By Chabeli Carrazana and Orion Rummler, The 19th
• September 27, 2021

GAO: Tech, Automation Improved Decennial Census Productivity

More than half of the Americans self-responded to the decennial census using the internet in 2020.

• By Frank Konkel
• June 15, 2021

Coalition Urges Congress to Boost Funding for Census Modernization

A group of Census experts and data users are asking appropriators to provide $2 billion in funding to the Census Bureau in fiscal 2022.

• By Frank Konkel
• May 6, 2021

Telework Works and Other Workforce Lessons Census Learned During the Pandemic

The U.S. Census Bureau’s customer experience chief encouraged agencies to embrace small gains.

• By Frank Konkel
• April 1, 2021

Shortened Census Led to an Incomplete Count in Some Areas

The Census Bureau claimed a 99.98% completion rate nationally when the count ended Oct. 15, but some areas did not reach that level.

• By The Pew Charitable Trusts
• November 4, 2020

Census Pulls Back on Year-End Delivery Commitment, Pushes Decision to Career Staff

Rushing in an effort to truncate the data processing timeline has "some risks," bureau official admits.

• By Eric Katz
• October 22, 2020

People Want Data Privacy but Don't Always Know What They're Getting

Differential privacy has recently emerged as a leading technique and is being rapidly adopted.

• By Gabriel Kaptchuk, Elissa M. Redmiles and Rachel Cummings, The Conversation
• October 21, 2020

'Nobody Knows What's Going On': Census Workers Decry Chaos as Trump Administration Challenges Court Order

Census enumerators say they have received inconsistent messages and workloads in recent days despite court order to keep count going.

• By Eric Katz
• October 2, 2020

Trump Administration Appeals Block on Census Immigration Plan

Experts have been skeptical about the feasibility of the plan to identify people living here illegally.

• By The Pew Charitable Trusts
• September 18, 2020

'Perfect Storm' Threatens 'Major Institutional Defeat' for the Census, Top Watchdog Says

The decennial count is ahead of schedule overall, but a condensed schedule and hiring shortfalls are creating significant risks.

• By Eric Katz
• September 11, 2020

Shortened Census Count Will Hurt Communities of Color

Some communities face less convenient access to the mail, telephone and online services needed to respond to the survey while others distrust the system.

• By Aggie Yellow Horse, The Conversation
• September 2, 2020