Important 2026 Milestones

It is crucial to understand the milestones leading to the 2030 Census, particularly if your role is to mobilize advocates and if you need to prepare to qualify for grant funding. Following are important census Milestones for 2026.

  1. Testing for the 2030 Census to support key decisions affecting detailed 2030 Census design and operational plan. Those decisions include questionnaire content (topics), question wording, and possible revisions to the residence rules (formally known as Residence Criteria and Situations), which govern where people are counted.
  2. American Community Survey (ongoing)
  3. Demographic and economic surveys (ongoing)
  4. Launch 2030 Census Barriers, Attitudes, and Motivators Survey (CBAMS) (tentative).
  5. 2030 Census planning phase continues (through 2027).

These milestones not only highlight the road ahead for the 2030 Census, they also lay the groundwork for future endeavors.

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Here is your roadmap for census-related actions in 2026:

  • 2026 Actions Overview

    Even though we're still a few years away from 2026, it's never too early to look ahead to important census milestones and actions you and your organization can incorporate into strategic and operational planning. Planning now will give you the ability to build vital added capacity in the leadup to 2030.

These are just some of the census-related advocacy actions your organization should have taken in 2021 to lay early groundwork for a fair, complete, and accurate count in 2030. It’s never too early to get started.