The Census is the constitutionally mandated count of every person living in the United States, conducted every 10 years. Article I, Section 2 requires "an actual Enumeration" of the population to apportion House seats. Every person—citizens and noncitizens alike—counts in the Census.
Census data determines how 435 House seats, Electoral College votes, and roughly $1.5 trillion in annual federal funding are distributed across states and localities. States use Census data to redraw congressional and legislative districts. Schools use it to forecast enrollment; hospitals use it to plan capacity; businesses use it to target markets. A single Census form affects American life for the next decade.
Census undercounting is a persistent challenge. The 2020 Census undercounted Latinos by 5.2%, Black Americans by 3.3%, Native Americans by 5.6%, and Asian Americans by 2.6%—while overcounting non-Hispanic whites by 1.6%. These undercounts cost states with minority populations House seats, Electoral votes, and federal funding. Solving undercounts requires trusted enumerators, culturally sensitive outreach, and sustained trust-building with communities historically undercounted.
The Census is democracy's numerical foundation. Accurate counts ensure political representation and fair resource distribution. Undercounts silence communities and shift power to those counted more accurately.
People sometimes think the Census asks citizenship. It doesn't—the Census counts everyone, including noncitizens. A separate citizenship question was proposed but rejected because it would discourage noncitizens from responding, leading to massive undercounts.
The Census is democracy's numerical foundation. Accurate counts ensure political representation and fair resource distribution. Undercounts silence communities and shift power to those counted more accurately.
People sometimes think the Census asks citizenship. It doesn't—the Census counts everyone, including noncitizens. A separate citizenship question was proposed but rejected because it would discourage noncitizens from responding, leading to massive undercounts.