Counting Everyone — Why the Proposed 2030 Census Rules Matter

Have you ever wondered how governments plan for their communities? How do local governments plan for residents' needs, from determining where new hospitals are needed and which roads need repairs to ensuring there are enough emergency services? How do policymakers decide how much funding to allocate for schools and other public services needed?

The decennial census is a key part of the answer.

The first decennial census took place in 1790 and consisted of six questions. Its primary purpose was to get a population count to determine how many seats in the U.S House of Representatives would be apportioned among the states, also known as an apportionment count. Since then, the census has been conducted every 10 years and has become an important source of data for many other purposes.

On September 10, 2026, the Census Bureau proposed changes to the rules in the upcoming 2030 Decennial Census. These changes could affect how people are counted, how states are represented, and what demographic data are collected. 

1. Many residents would no longer count

The rule proposes that citizens of foreign countries who are also “either citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States” would be included in the apportionment count, but all other citizens of foreign countries would not. This proposed rule would, for the first time, exclude many residents such as  work visa holders, international students, refugees, and more from the apportionment count. If this rule were to pass, then we could have less accurate population data which could have many impacts such as difficulty planning public services and effects on federal funding.

2. Many people may be counted in the wrong place

This would be a result of the Census Bureau proposal “to define the relevant ‘census enumeration period’ to run from January 3 to April 1 during decennial census years.” This means that if a person lives in New Jersey for most of the year, but during the enumeration period they are living in another state, whether it is for work or leisure, they would be counted as living in that state.

3. No race or ethnicity questions

This rule proposes to exclude race and ethnicity questions from the “decennial census short-form questionnaire or any questionnaire used for the enumeration of the population.” The removal of this data could affect other surveys in the United States, as decennial census counts serve as the basis for other surveys. Consequently, this exclusion could result in the loss of reliable race and ethnicity data at federal, state, and local levels. Race and ethnicity data are crucial for many purposes, including tracking changes in disparities, assessing public health outcomes, and informing policy decisions.

These are just some of the potential implications of the proposed changes.