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GAO-25-107886 1 (July 24, 2025)

handle is hein.gao/cnsprptns0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Why This Matters Key Takeaways Census data are used to apportion the seats of the U.S. House of Representatives, support many private sector business decisions, redraw congressional districts in each state, and allocate hundreds of billions of dollars each year in federal financial assistance. Census planning is an enormous and complex undertaking, and the Census Bureau is well into its 14-year life cycle for the decennial census, which runs from 2019 through 2033 when including early planning and final evaluations. The Bureau approved a preliminary high-level operational plan in December 2024 (with public release awaiting review by the Department of Commerce as of early July 2025) and is making design and planning decisions that will affect implementation of the 2030 Census. The Bureau previously faced challenges with estimating and managing the cost of the census. Costs of taking the census have risen over time, from $45 per household in 1990 to roughly $99 per household in 2020 (in constant 2020 dollars), due in part to factors like relatively lower self-response rates and increased infrastructure costs. The Bureau was able to slow the rate of increase for the last census compared to 2010, though, to roughly 7 percent versus the roughly 15 percent increase that the 2010 cost represented over the 2000 Census. We were asked by Congress to report on a range of topics related to preparations for the 2030 Census, including any effects from known major design changes. This report is the first in what will be a series of products on how the Bureau is preparing for the 2030 Census. The Bureau is testing and refining its initial, high-level operational plan and estimating life-cycle costs. The Bureau has already completed much of its research and plans major field tests for 2026 and 2028. As of early July 2025, the Bureau plans several changes for the 2030 Census, including eliminating nationwide canvassing to build its address list, expanding its use of data from other government agencies to count people who do not respond, and further reducing census field-office infrastructure. Any changes to the types of data collected will become clear when the Secretary of Commerce transmits decennial questionnaire topics and content to Congress in 2027 and 2028, respectively. Continued oversight of the Bureau's planned changes is needed, considering the relevance of budgetary uncertainty; cybersecurity and privacy; managing cost, schedule, and risk; and data quality and transparency. Page 1 GAO-25-107886 2030 Census Page 1 GAO-25-107886 2030 Census

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