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Updated April 22, 2019
The 2020 Decennial Census: Overview and Issues
hat the Census Is and How the Data
Are Used
The census is a count, as nearly complete and accurate as
possible, of every person whose usual residence is in the
United States. Article I, Section 2, clause 3 of the U.S.
Constitution, as modified by Section 2 of the 14th
Amendment, requires a population census every 10 years,
conducted in such Manner as they [Congress] shall by
Law direct. Congress, in Title 13, U.S. Code, has
delegated this responsibility to the Secretary of Commerce
and, within the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), the
Census Bureau. The first census took place in 1790; the
next will be in 2020. The constitutional reason for taking a
census is to have an updated basis for apportioning seats in
the U.S. House of Representatives. Census data also are
used to redraw legislative boundaries within states; to
produce population estimates and projections; in formulas
that help allocate more than $675 billion in federal funds
annually to states and localities; and by subnational
governments, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and
researchers for myriad purposes.
Engaging the Population
The Census Bureau's mission for 2020 is complicated. It
must cover a population that is large, tends to be mobile, is
distributed over a wide geographic area, and, in the words
of a former bureau director, has more diversity and
complexity than in past decades. The need to avoid census
miscounts, such as overcounts of people with more than one
residence and undercounts of racial and ethnic minorities,
makes the bureau's public outreach efforts before and
during the census particularly important.
Innovations for 2020
Congress has directed the bureau to control the ever-rising
cost of the census, now estimated at about $15.6 billion for
2020. The bureau has responded with four innovations
designed to save money.
In-Office Address Canvassing
The Census Bureau's goal is to have the correct address and
geospatial location of every housing unit in the United
States. Accurate addresses and maps are essential for
contacting the public initially and during nonresponse
follow-up (NRFU). In the past, census workers had to walk
and check about 11 million census blocks. For 2020, the
bureau plans to replace roughly 70% of this field work
(which cost almost $450 million for the 2010 census) with
in-office canvassing, using data from satellite imagery, the
U.S. Postal Service (USPS), federal administrative records,
subnational governments, and third-party sources.
Emphasis on Prompt Responses
The bureau is emphasizing prompt responses in the initial
phase of the census, to limit the need for later follow-up by
personal visits. NRFU long has been the most costly part of
the census (about $2 billion in 2010). The public outreach
strategy for 2020 includes paid advertising in print and on
television, radio, and social media; and partnering with
outside organizations, especially those trusted by harder-to-
count population groups. The census also will feature a new
internet response option, to make answering easier and
replace as much of the more expensive mail-out, mail-back
census operation as possible. Those not able or willing to
respond online can provide their answers by calling
questionnaire assistance centers or can fill out paper forms.
Administrative Records to Limit NRFU
Before NRFU begins, the bureau will use governmental
administrative records-for example, Undeliverable-as-
Addressed information from USPS-to identify and
remove the addresses of vacant housing units from the
NRFU workload. In addition, the bureau may use records-
such as those from the Internal Revenue Service, the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Indian
Health Service, and the Social Security Administration,
plus information the bureau already has and commercial
data-if feasible, to enumerate some occupied
nonresponding households.
Technology to Streamline Fieldwork
The bureau expects that address canvassers and NRFU field
staff will work remotely, using mobile devices for most
administrative tasks and data collection. Supervisors, too,
will use the devices for working and communicating with
staff remotely. This technology, according to the bureau,
will greatly reduce the physical space and staff needed for
fieldwork, from 12 regional centers and almost 500 area
offices for the 2010 census to six regional centers and just
under 250 administrative support centers for 2020.
Issues for 2020
Funding Challenges
Heightened preparations for any census generally require
corresponding increases in appropriations. During the
earlier ramp up to 2020, enacted funding was less than
requested and was delayed. The FY2016 budget request for
the census was $662.6 million; the enacted amount was
$598.9 million. The FY2017 request was $778.3 million;
the Census Bureau's approved spend plan allocated $767.3
million to the census. In contrast, the FY2018 request for
the census was $800.2 million; the spend plan approved
$2,094.9 million. The amount for Periodic Censuses and
Programs (PCP), the account that includes the census, was
$2,545.4 million, available until September 30, 2020. For
FY2019, the census request was $3,015.1 million. H.J.Res.
31, P.L. 116-6, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019,
Division C, funds PCP at $3,551.4 million, with a transfer
of $3.6 million from PCP to the DOC Office of Inspector
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