Census

Demonstrators hold signs saying "Count Me In" outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., in 2019, when the court blocked former President Donald Trump's administration from adding a citizenship question to 2020 census forms.

What to know about the accuracy of the 2020 census — and why it matters for you

12:16pm March 09, 2022

by Hansi Lo Wang

COVID-19 and interference by former President Donald Trump's administration have made it harder to pinpoint the accuracy of the numbers used to redistribute political representation and federal money.

Race

North Carolina's Latino population continues its tremendous growth

4:36pm January 18, 2022

by David Ford

A new report on 2010 to 2020 census data shows tremendous growth in North Carolina's Latino population. Advocacy groups say this has implications for voting rights.

Queue Listen Now

A newly released Census Bureau email written during former President Donald Trump's administration — when Wilbur Ross, shown at a 2020 congressional hearing in Washington, D.C., served as the commerce secretary overseeing the census — details how offi

Trump officials interfered with the 2020 census beyond cutting it short, email shows

6:51pm January 15, 2022

by Hansi Lo Wang

The email details the scope of the former administration's attempts to tamper with the count, including pressuring the Census Bureau to alter plans for protecting privacy and producing accurate data.

Economy

In area suburbs, income rose with population in the 2010s, but not everywhere

9:51am December 30, 2021

by Paul Garber and Gant Renner

Census figures from the American Community Survey revealed population growth in the Triad, both in major cities as wel

Queue Listen Now

Dancers perform during a promotional event for the U.S. census in New York City's Times Square in September 2020.

The 2020 census likely left out people of color at rates higher than a decade ago

10:21am November 02, 2021

by Hansi Lo Wang

After COVID-19 disruptions and Trump administration interference, last year's national head count may have undercounted people of color at higher rates than in 2010, an Urban Institute study finds.

A person wearing a mask walks past posters encouraging census participation in Seattle in April 2020. The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted not only last year's national head count, but also a critical follow-up survey that the U.S. Census Bureau relies

How many people of color did the 2020 census miss? COVID makes it harder to tell

4:50pm October 09, 2021

by Hansi Lo Wang

A final round of door knocking for a follow-up survey is now set to last until early 2022, raising concerns about whether the bureau can determine which groups were undercounted in the 2020 census.

Growing numbers of Latinos identifying as "Some other race" for the U.S. census have boosted the category to become the country's second-largest racial group after "White." Researchers are concerned the catchall grouping obscures many Latinx people's iden

National

1 In 7 People Mark 'Some Other Race' On The U.S. Census. That's A Big Data Problem

2:25pm September 30, 2021

by Hansi Lo Wang

Growing numbers of Latinos turned a mysterious census category into the country's second-largest racial group. Researchers say that makes it harder to address racial inequities over the next decade.

Many at-home DNA ancestry testing kits require participants to mail in a sample of saliva.

National

The Census Has Revealed A More Multiracial U.S. One Reason? Cheaper DNA Tests

5:00am August 28, 2021

by Hansi Lo Wang

Genetic ancestry tests, changes to how census responses were categorized and more children born to parents who identify with different racial groups led to a 276% jump in the multiracial population.

Change in "White" population between the 2010 and 2020 US Census

This Is How The White Population Is Actually Changing Based On New Census Data

1:59pm August 22, 2021

The white population is still the largest racial group in the U.S. Whether it is declining depends on how you define "white." Narrow definitions, researchers warn, can be misleading and dangerous.

James F. Holmes, the first-ever person of color to oversee the U.S. head count, stands inside his office at the Census Bureau's former headquarters in Suitland, Md., in 1998, when Holmes served as acting director for about nine months.

U.S. Census Directors Were All White Until James F. Holmes Stepped In

7:57pm July 18, 2021

by Hansi Lo Wang

For more than 200 years, the census was overseen by white leaders. Holmes' 1998 stint as acting director blazed a trail for Biden's pick, who may become the count's first permanent director of color.