2020 Census

People holding umbrellas walk through New York City's Times Square in 2019. The U.S. Census Bureau plans to change how it protects the confidentiality of people's information in the detailed demographic data it produces through the 2020 count.

For The U.S. Census, Keeping Your Data Anonymous And Useful Is A Tricky Balance

5:00am May 19, 2021

by Hansi Lo Wang

The Census Bureau must protect people's privacy when it releases demographic data from the 2020 count. Plans to change how it does that have sparked controversy over how it may affect redistricting.

Minnesota's state demographer, Susan Brower (center), walks with Dean Goldberg, donning a blue cape and black mask as "Census Man," through the 2019 Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul, Minn., to encourage residents to participate in the national head count.

How 26 People In The Census Count Helped Minnesota Beat New York For A House Seat

6:10pm May 01, 2021

by Hansi Lo Wang

Small census numbers can make a big difference. If Minnesota's 2020 count included 26 fewer residents, it might have lost a seat in Congress — a seat that New York fell short of winning by 89 people.

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Some states have gained or lost Electoral College votes because of changes in population numbers recorded by the 2020 census.

Here's How The 1st 2020 Census Results Changed Electoral College, House Seats

6:48pm April 26, 2021

by Hansi Lo Wang

Based on population shifts recorded by the 2020 census, Texas, Florida and North Carolina are among the states gaining representation, while California, New York and Pennsylvania are losing influence.

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U.S. Army soldiers board a bus in January 2020 at Fort Bragg, N.C., one of the military bases that will likely see population boosts in their 2020 census counts due to a change to how troops deployed abroad were counted.

Why Deployed Troop Counts Are A 'Wildcard' In 2020 Census Results

2:12pm April 23, 2021

by Hansi Lo Wang

About 97,000 troops who are stationed in the U.S. but were deployed abroad during the census could help shift congressional seats and Electoral College votes to states with military bases or ports.

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If passed, two new bills in Congress would extend the reporting deadlines for 2020 census results, which are now months overdue after the pandemic and interference by Trump administration officials upended last year's national count.

After A Disrupted Census, Congress Tries Again To Extend Deadlines For Results

4:14pm April 20, 2021

by Hansi Lo Wang

The 2020 census results are months overdue after COVID-19 upended the national count. Efforts to extend reporting deadlines stalled last year after Trump officials decided to cut short counting.

If confirmed by the Senate, Robert Santos, a Latinx statistician shown here in a 2019 photo, would be the Census Bureau's first permanent director of color.

Biden To Make Historic Census Director Pick With Latinx Statistician Rob Santos

5:41pm April 13, 2021

by Hansi Lo Wang

If confirmed by the Senate, Robert Santos, president of the American Statistical Association, would be the bureau's first permanent director of color overseeing the national count and major surveys.

Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo has been confirmed as the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, which oversees the Census Bureau.

Biden's Commerce Secretary, Gina Raimondo, Confirmed By Senate

6:08pm March 02, 2021

by Hansi Lo Wang

Gov. Gina Raimondo, the first woman to lead Rhode Island, is cutting short a second term as governor to oversee an eclectic portfolio of U.S. Commerce Department agencies, including the Census Bureau.

Weeks before the 1980 census officially began, the Federation for American Immigration Reform launched its campaign to exclude unauthorized immigrants from population counts that, according to the Constitution, must include the "whole number of persons in

Immigration Hard-Liner Files Reveal 40-Year Bid Behind Trump's Census Obsession

4:34pm February 15, 2021

by Hansi Lo Wang

The Trump administration tried and failed to accomplish a long-held desire of immigration hard-liners — a count of unauthorized immigrants to reshape Congress, the Electoral College and public policy.

A census supporter holds up a sign during a 2020 rally in New York City.

6-Month Delay In Census Redistricting Data Could Throw Elections Into Chaos

1:49pm February 12, 2021

by Hansi Lo Wang

To do more quality checks on the data needed for redrawing voting maps, the Census Bureau is now planning for a release by Sept. 30. The delay puts pressure on states facing tight election deadlines.

A U.S. census worker sits in the plaza of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City in September. The Census Bureau announced Wednesday that the first results of the 2020 census are expected to be released by April 30.

Census Numbers For Dividing Up House Seats Delayed Until April 30, Bureau Says

6:33pm January 27, 2021

by Hansi Lo Wang

The 2020 census results used to determine representation in Congress and the Electoral College for the next decade will likely be released four months late, the U.S. Census Bureau announced Wednesday.