Why Congress Can’t Freeze or Cut Funding for the U.S. Census Bureau Mid-decade
The decennial census, mandated by the Constitution and scheduled by law for April 1, 2030, requires a full decade of planning. The Census Bureau cannot delay its research and testing. To ensure a fair and accurate count, especially in historically and persistently undercounted communities, Congress must provide modest but steady annual funding increases.
Planning for the 2030 Census reaches a critical halfway point in 2025. Timely investment is needed now to test improved methods, build partnerships, and prevent undercounts in rural areas, communities of color, and Indian Country. Without sufficient funding, the bureau may cancel 2026 test sites — including one in hurricane-impacted western North Carolina — missing key opportunities to refine cost-effective, accurate approaches. A similar lack of funding before the 2020 Census led to test cancellations in rural and tribal areas, resulting in significant undercounts.
The Census Bureau must spend resources wisely, but it cannot cut corners in the effort to achieve a fair and accurate count. The success of the 2030 Census is threatened if Congress does not start to ramp up the Census Bureau’s funding in FY 2026. Congress must find a way to ensure adequate funding for the 2030 Census every year in order to meet its constitutional mandate of conducting the decennial census.