Each month the Census Counts team compiles Census-related news from a wide swath of national and regional media outlets to keep data equity stakeholders informed and engaged.
As always, you can find earlier clips here.
April 29, 2024 Census Coalition Clips
National
Fauquier Times | News Census change will lead to more data on health of Middle Eastern, North African people in US
For decades, U.S. residents with heritage from the Middle East and North Africa, which is known internationally as the MENA region, have been classified by the government as white. The grouping masked differences in income, health, housing and other important markers. And when public health officials lack data on COVID-19 deaths or vaccine uptake in the MENA community, for example, it’s difficult to distribute dollars and other public resources effectively. Apart from independent studies by academic and nonprofit researchers, little is known about the health of Middle Eastern and North African people in the U.S. Experts and advocates hope the census change will spur local and state health agencies to update their own data collection methods to shed light on health inequities and needs.
Nada Hassanein | April 25, 2024
State
California
San Francisco Bay Times| News Why California’s SOGI Data Matters
Senate Bill 957: SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) Data Collection, an important bill for the future of LGBTQI+ Californians, is currently making its way through the California State Senate. This bill, authored by Senator Scott Wiener and co-sponsored by Equality California and the California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network, intends to close gaps from previous SOGI-related legislation. Actionable and culturally-appropriate SOGI data collection and reporting is relevant for LGBTQI+ people for multiple reasons. Firstly, most large-scale studies, such as the U.S. Census, do not capture LGBTQI+ identities; given this dearth of data, state and local laws mandating SOGI data collection and reporting are one of few ways to gather information on the needs of LGBTQI+ communities. This data can then be leveraged to better understand, document, and address the issues impacting our communities, such as inequities in access to healthcare, experiences of discrimination, and specific health outcomes affecting LGBTQI+ people.
Pau Crego | April 18, 2024
Blog Posts and Reports
U.S. GAO | Report IT Modernization: Census Bureau Needs Reliable Cost and Schedule Estimates
While the 2030 Decennial Census is still years away, keeping the Census Bureau’s IT systems modernized is critical to its mission. The Bureau has begun 4 modernization programs for systems that collect, process, and disseminate data, but hasn’t fully implemented leading practices for managing requirements, cost, and schedule. Without reliable estimates, the Bureau increases its risk of cost overruns and unmet performance targets. The Bureau has also begun creating plans to address many of the cybersecurity and privacy challenges it faced during the prior Census but hasn’t set timeframes for all of these efforts.
U.S. GAO | April 29, 2024
U.S. Census Bureau | Press Release Census Bureau Announces Leadership for New 2030 Census Advisory Committee
The U.S. Census Bureau today announced the appointment of Arturo Vargas as the chair and Nancy Bates as the vice chair of the newly formed 2030 Census Advisory Committee (2030 CAC). The 2030 CAC will provide the Census Bureau recommendations on planning and implementation of the 2030 Census. The committee will also review and provide feedback related to 2030 Census plans and execution to assist the Census Bureau to devise strategies to increase census awareness and participation, reduce barriers to response and enhance the public’s trust and willingness to respond.
Naomi Evangelista | April 25, 2024
U.S. Census Bureau | Press Release Largest Year-to-Year Increase in Over 20 Years for Public School Spending Per Pupil
Nationally, public school spending per student rose 8.9% from $14,358 in FY 2021 to $15,633 in FY 2022, according to new data from the 2022 Annual Survey of School System Finances released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. This represents the largest percentage increase in public school spending per pupil in the 50 states and the District of Columbia in over 20 years. Statistics are not adjusted for inflation or cost-of-living differences between geographic areas.
Kristina Barrett | April 25, 2024
April 22, 2024 Census Coalition Clips
National
The Washington Post | News Tell The Post: How will the changes to race and ethnicity data collection affect you
The federal government is updating how it classifies people by race and ethnicity for the first time in over a quarter-century, aiming to better capture an increasingly diverse country.
The Middle Eastern and North African population will be recognized as a distinct race and ethnic identity for the first time. And Latinos will also be able to identify as such without having to also identify as a separate race, such as Black or White. The proposal could change how race and ethnicity are measured across the country, from statewide and local records on police violence to health disparity data. But for many people, it’s much more personal. Advocates for the change have argued it will offer a more accurate view of the country’s diversity. What do you think about these changes? Will it change how you identify yourself? Please only respond if you feel comfortable having your name published, but note that we will not publish any part of your response without following up with you first. Fields marked with an asterisk are required.
Staff | April 19, 2024
The Washington Post | News Despite ‘model minority’ trope, 1 in 10 Asian Americans live in poverty
When the Office of Management and Budget recently announced it was adding new racial and ethnic categories to the Census for the first time in 27 years, large Asian American advocacy groups rejoiced. Asian Americans who traditionally only had one option when identifying their race — Asian — would soon have more options to identify themselves. The next Census will also allow them to identify their country of origin: Chinese, Asian Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, or Japanese. The changes are key to dismantling what many in the Asian American community call the “model minority myth,” activists say. The myth, a set of stereotypes which casts Asians as more hard-working, quiet and more successful than other groups, paints an inaccurate portrait of the fastest-growing racial group in the United States with origins in 19 countries, they say. It also clouds the many problems Asian Americans face such as poverty, especially in refugee populations, advocates say.
Rachel Hatzipanagos | April 18, 2024
Axios | News Racial health disparities exist in every state, new report says
Even states that made progress narrowing racial and ethnic health disparities have considerable gaps on access, outcomes and quality of care, a new Commonwealth Fund report finds.
The big picture: Black and Native Americans are much likelier to die early from preventable illnesses than their white and Asian counterparts. “Health equity does not exist in any state in the U.S.,” said David Radley, a senior scientist at the Commonwealth Fund and an author of the report. What they found: Overall, the health system performs below average for Black and Hispanic people in most states, according to the analysis. Six states — Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Hawai’i, New Hampshire and New York — had above-average health system performance for all racial groups, but the data still shows health disparities in those states. Health performance was below average for Native Americans in all states reporting data. The report analyzed federal data captured between 2020-2022 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Census Bureau.
Maya Goldman | April 18, 2024
Truthout | News Gerrymandering Denies Incarcerated People Fair Democratic Representation
In recent years, the concept of gerrymandering has entered the mainstream political conversation — particularly as it relates to toying with voting population percentages, a strategy which Republicans have put to especially effective use. (Though it’s not exclusive to the right, and there are signs that its advantage may be starting to fray.) Named for 18th-century Vice President Elbridge Gerry, to “gerrymander” is to bureaucratically distort the geographic boundaries of a voting district, cutting across lines of population concentrations so that, for instance, Republican voters in that district will make up a majority that was not present in the previous boundary overlay. In districts where one might expect rectangles, instead, thanks to such manipulation, boundary geometries can be warped to farcical extremes. (Gerry’s meddling with a Boston district was said to produce a map the shape of a salamander, hence the portmanteau word — a term as unwieldy and strange as the often-preposterous districts to which it refers.) The abuse of power that gerrymandering represents has been an ongoing concern, particularly as Republicans have become increasingly brazen about wheeling out the patently self-serving strategy during each once-a-decade redistricting cycle. The consequences have been far-ranging for U.S. democracy (and the lack thereof).
Tyler Walicek | April 15, 2024
Brookings | News New census data hints at an urban population revival, assisted by immigration
The COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on urban population shifts have not completely subsided. But recently released Census Bureau estimates suggest a trend toward demographic revival for most of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas and urban core counties. Population losses in these places are subsiding and, in some cases, turning into gains that are approaching pre-pandemic levels. Migration patterns, especially a continued rise in post-pandemic immigration from abroad, have contributed to these shifts. The new Census Bureau data for counties and metropolitan areas provide annual estimates through July 2023, permitting an examination of the factors contributing to population shifts for the two years after the peak pandemic year of 2020-21—a historic down year for the nation’s overall population growth as well as for cities and metropolitan areas. Earlier this year, the Census Bureau released data that suggested greater growth nationally and in several states. Now, the newly released data provides updated information for counties and metropolitan areas. This analysis examines how recent urban growth patterns have shifted from the peak pandemic period and now signal a trend toward demographic revival.
William H Fey | April 15, 2024
State
Ohio
Toledo Blade | News City council urged to tie size with 2030 U.S. Census
The city of Toledo Charter Review Committee voted Thursday to recommend to city council that it review the size and composition of council based on the city’s population following the U.S. Census scheduled for 2030. After a brief discussion to possibly use figures from the 2020 U.S. Census in determining the number of seats on council, it was decided it would be more accurate to wait until the 2030 Census when the information is up to date. “It is too difficult to work with old data. It makes more sense to keep the city council current based on the size of the city,” Peggy Mattimoe Sturgeon, chairman of the charter review committee, said. The advisory committee has no legal authority and can only make recommendations to council. The city charter states that legislative authority in the city is vested in a 12-member council. An amendment to the charter would have to be put on the ballot by city council for voters to decide the issue. The committee also discussed whether to recommend an amendment that allows the mayor to run for a third consecutive term. Currently, the charter limits the mayor to two consecutive four-year terms. The committee in 2022 had recommended to council that it be placed on the Nov. 8 ballot. It was one of 13 charter proposals that appeared as a one ballot initiative that was defeated by voters.
Kelly Kaczala | April 19, 2024
Blog Posts and Reports
U.S. Census Bureau | Press Release Household Pulse Survey Phase 4.0 Monthly Data Release
The U.S. Census Bureau today released new data from phase 4.0 of the experimental Household Pulse Survey (HPS). The HPS is an effort by the Census Bureau and other federal statistical agencies to measure how emergent issues are impacting U.S. households from a social and economic perspective. Topics for phase 4.0 include employment status, spending, food security, housing, health, mental health, natural disasters, inflation and spending, vaccine receipt, COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment, shortage of critical products, disability, income, social connection and child care arrangements. The Census Bureau is set to release data from this phase February 22, March 21 and April 18. HPS results are available on our website via the Household Pulse Survey Interactive Tool, detailed tables and a public-use data file. No news release associated with this product. Tip sheet only.
April 18, 2024
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights | Blog The Lack of Prison Data Harms Our Communities
Who is in our prisons? How long have they been there? How much taxpayer funds are spent on incarcerating them? And why does any of that matter for our communities and the policies we create? From better capturing racial and financial impacts to informing policy solutions aimed at enhancing people’s lives, having accurate quantitative data for prisons is a crucial starting point for understanding the U.S. carceral system. As of this year, the United States still holds one of the world’s highest populations of incarcerated people, reaching almost 2 million people across thousands of federal, state, local, and tribal carceral systems. Through the overcriminalization of minor infractions and nonviolent offenses, historically vulnerable communities — including Black, Latino, and low-income people — are disproportionately represented in our nation’s prisons.
Alaina Ruffin | April 17, 2024
U.S. Census Bureau | Press Release Census Bureau to Announce Plans for 2026 Census Test
The U.S. Census Bureau is scheduled to hold the third in a series of webinars to share updates and lay the groundwork for key components of the 2030 Census preparations. The upcoming webinar will provide updates about the scope and enhancements that will be tested in the 2026 Census Test, including new strategies to increase overall response and participation. The Census Bureau will pay special attention to the inclusion of hard-to-count and historically undercounted populations. The webinar will also describe how the Census Bureau plans to test features that were not used during the 2020 Census. The 2026 Census Test is one of two major field tests the Census Bureau will hold leading up to the 2030 Census. Counting every person living in the United States is an incredibly complex undertaking. Throughout the planning process, the Census Bureau uses research, stakeholder input and a wide range of expertise and testing to inform decisions. The design of the 2030 Census will mature through 2029. The Census Bureau will continue to engage stakeholders and provide updates throughout the process.
April 16, 2024
April 8, 2024 Census Coalition Clips
National
AsAm News | News Groups urge Census to reclassify Hmong people as ‘Southeast Asian’ not ‘East Asian’
Civil rights organizations and advocacy groups say a mistake in subregion classifications made by the U.S. Census Bureau could prove costly for Hmong Americans. Last year, the Census Bureau released new data sets from the 2020 Census as part of the Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A (Detailed DHC-A). Hmong and Southeast Asian-focused groups discovered in the DHC-A data sets that the bureau had classified Asians by subregions and mistakenly classified Hmong people as “East Asian” instead of “Southeast Asian.” A few weeks ago, a coalition of 12 Hmong and other Asian American and Pacific Islander organizations, led by the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) sent a letter to U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert L. Santos urging him to prioritize reclassifying Hmong as “Southeast Asian.”
Akemi Tamanaha | April 7, 2024
The Guam Daily Post | News Latinos are getting out of the ‘other’ box on the US census
Last Thursday the White House announced a long-awaited decision from the Office of Management and Budget. The new directive will allow for the use of a single “check all that apply” race/ethnicity question with options for Latino/Hispanic and Middle Eastern/North African. This is a monumental step forward in advancing data equity, not just for these groups, but for our ability to accurately compare U.S. racial groups more broadly. For decades, the U.S. census has maintained separate questions for Latino origin and race, forcing Latinos to choose from options such as white, Black, American Indian, Asian and “other” under the race rubric. Unable to fit themselves into these categories, in 2020, nearly 44% of Latinos either did not answer the race question or marked “other.” In fact, 94% of “other” race responses to the census were Latinos. And “other” became the second-largest racial group in the country in 2020. But according to federal guidelines, “other” is not a race.
Julie A. Dowling | April 6, 2024
WDET 101.9 FM | News What the US Census’ new ‘MENA’ category means to Arab Americans
The state Office of Management and Budget recently announced the addition of a Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) category for data collection on federal forms, including the next census. Rima Meroueh, director of the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC), says the change will allow people to see themselves in the data who otherwise would be included in the census as “white.” Arab Americans make up the largest segment of the MENA category in the U.S., at around 2.5 million people. The term combines race and ethnicity on the census, and the change also will allow people to check off all boxes that apply to their identities.
Nargis Rahman | April 5, 2024
NorthJersey.com | News Long considered ‘white’ on the US census, MENA will now have a new race category
It never felt right to Bader Risheg to check off “white” on the U.S. census and other federal forms. “White” did not reflect how he felt about his identity or how he was treated — but that is how people from the Middle East and North Africa have long been counted. “We are not European,” said Risheg, a Palestinian American from North Bergen. “We have our own distinct culture and language.” Now, under changes to the U.S. census, people from the Middle East or North Africa — the MENA region — will finally be able to check off their own race and ethnicity category. Announced by the Biden administration last week, it is one of several revisions that will allow for more detailed reporting on race and ethnicity in the U.S. census.
Hannan Adely | April 4, 2024
Big News Network | News US changes categories of race, ethnicity for first time in 27 years
To more accurately count residents who identify as Hispanic and of Middle Eastern and North African heritage, the US government announced, late last week, that it is changing the categorization of people by race and ethnicity for the first time in 27 years. The revisions to the minimum categories on race and ethnicity, announced by the Office of Management and Budget, seeks to label and define the American people and reflect changes in social attitudes and immigration, as well as the keenness of an increasingly diverse society to be represented in federal government data. Meeta Anand, senior director for Census and Data Equity at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said, “You cannot underestimate the emotional impact this has on people.”
Robert Besser | April 2, 2024
MSNBC | News Why the 2030 census will likely show a drop in ‘white’ Americans
The Biden administration last week announced a major change in how Americans will be able to identify themselves on the 2030 census and other federal forms. With the update, there will be two new options available under the “race” category: “Middle Eastern or North African” (“MENA”) and “Hispanic or Latino.” It’s a change that’s a long time coming as millions of Americans have felt unrepresented in the previous choices. It’s also a shift that is sure to prompt backlash among right-wing agitators, specifically white supremacists, as the changes are likely to result in a surface-level drop in the number of Americans who are counted as “white” in comparison to previous years. Even as the revision paints a more accurate picture of the country, it’s also the sort of thing conspiracy theorists and loyalists of former President Donald Trump tend to grasp onto as proof of a so-called plot against white America.
Hayes Brown | April 1, 2024
States
Michigan
PBS | News Michigan lawmakers are considering a state-level MENA category. Here’s what that would mean
Michigan has one of the nation’s largest concentrations of Arab Americans and people with origins in the Middle East and North Africa. But because of the way the government collects data, it is hard to know exactly how many people this includes and how to best get services and funding allocated to those communities. Michigan lawmakers in February of this year proposed two bills that would allow the state to add a designation for people with origins in the Middle East or North Africa (MENA) when collecting demographic data — a tool supporters say will lead to better support for health and education and other community resources across the state.
Frances Kai-Hwa Wang | April 4, 2024
Blog Posts and Reports
U.S. Census Bureau | Blog Meeting Our Future: Improving Race/Ethnicity Data With Updated Federal Standards
On March 28, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published the results of its review of Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 (SPD 15) and issued updated standards for collecting and reporting race and ethnicity data across federal agencies, including the U.S. Census Bureau. These standards were last revised over a quarter century ago. Given the evolution of our nation over the past two decades, this announcement is well received. Professionally, these updated standards will improve data on race/ethnicity to better reflect the growing, beautiful diversity of our nation and its people. Personally, I am thankful that I and more Americans than ever will be able to self-identify using a single question that respectfully presents race/ethnicity categories co-equally. And checking all that apply allows respondents to report our rich identities in full. Yes, I’m looking forward to answering the new combined race/ethnicity question in the 2030 Census, the American Community Survey and other social and demographic surveys conducted by the Census Bureau.
Robert L. Santos | April 8, 2024
U.S. Census Bureau | Blog How Parents Coped with the Infant Formula Shortage
In 2022, the United States experienced an infant formula shortage due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a large voluntary recall, and related supply chain issues. By summer 2023, about 20% of parents said they had a hard time finding formula — more than a 14 percentage point drop from fall 2022, according to the experimental Household Pulse Survey (HPS), which has been asking parents if they were having difficulty getting infant formula since September 2022. In an analysis of the large, nationally representative sample of U.S. households, we compare survey results from the first measurement of the shortage’s impact in fall 2022 to results in summer 2023.
Caitlyn Keeve, Aleia Fobia, and Jennifer Berkley | April 2, 2024
April 1, 2024 Census Coalition Clips
National
NBC News | News ‘We exist’: New Middle Eastern or North African census category helps community members feel seen
The new Middle Eastern or North African category announced by the Office of Management and Budget on Thursday will help shed the cloak of invisibility draped on members of the community, like Salih, for decades, experts say. The addition of this category to the OMB’s standards for race and ethnicity for the first time in U.S. history means that an estimated 8 million Americans who trace their origins to the Middle East and North Africa will no longer have to choose “white” or “other” on federal forms, including the U.S. census.
Mirna Alsharif | April 1, 2024
Bay Area Reporter | News LGBTQ data expert joins 2030 census advisory panel
An expert on LGBTQ data collection has joined a committee tasked with advising the U.S. Census Bureau on its decennial count of the country’s population in 2030. One topic Nancy Bates, Ph.D., plans to advocate for is the inclusion of questions to determine how many people living in the U.S. identify as LGBTQ. The U.S. Census Bureau announced March 26 that Bates was among 23 people appointed to its new 2030 Census Advisory Committee. A lesbian who lives in Washington, D.C., Bates is a former senior methodologist and statistician with the federal agency.
Matthew S. Bajko | April 1, 2024
LA Times | News The Census is changing its categories on race and ethnicity. Here’s what that means for Latinos
The U.S. Census Bureau will have new categories for race and ethnicity for the first time in 27 years, directly affecting people who identify as Hispanic, Latino, Middle Eastern and North African. Announced in a Federal Register Notice by the Office of Management and Budget, the Census will no longer have separate questions asking for a person’s race and their ethnicity. Instead, there will be a single question that asks, “What is your race and/or your ethnicity?” Questions surrounding an individual’s ethnicity and racial background in goverment documents can be confusing. According to a Pew Research Center report, “Four-in-ten Hispanics (42%) marked their race as ‘some other race’ in the 2020 census without marking any other response.” 23% of Latino adults said the census represented their identity “not too well” or “not at all well.”
Cerys Davies | March 31, 2024
AP | News US changes how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity. It’s the first revision in 27 years
For the first time in 27 years, the U.S. government is changing how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity, an effort that federal officials believe will more accurately count residents who identify as Hispanic and of Middle Eastern and North African heritage. The revisions to the minimum categories on race and ethnicity, announced Thursday by the Office of Management and Budget, are the latest effort to label and define the people of the United States. This evolving process often reflects changes in social attitudes and immigration, as well as a wish for people in an increasingly diverse society to see themselves in the numbers produced by the federal government.
Mike Schneider | March 28, 2024
NPR | News Next U.S. census will have new boxes for ‘Middle Eastern or North African,’ ‘Latino’
On the next U.S. census and future federal government forms, the list of checkboxes for a person’s race and ethnicity is officially getting longer. The Biden administration has approved proposals for a new response option for “Middle Eastern or North African” and a “Hispanic or Latino” box that appears under a reformatted question that asks: “What is your race and/or ethnicity?” Going forward, participants in federal surveys will be presented with at least seven “race and/or ethnicity” categories, along with instructions that say: “Select all that apply.”
Hansi Lo Wang | March 28, 2024
The Washington Post | News U.S. updates how it classifies people by race, ethnicity for first time in decades
The federal government updated how it classifies people by race and ethnicity for the first time in over a quarter-century, aiming to better capture an increasingly diverse country and give policymakers a fuller view of the Americans their work impacts. The changes, announced Thursday by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, aim to better capture an increasingly diverse country and give policymakers a fuller view of Americans.
Patrick Svitek | March 28, 2024
States
California
UCLA | News Changes to U.S. data collection on race, ethnicity could be a boon to public health
In response to the nation’s growing diversity, the Biden administration announced March 28 that the government will change how it collects information about people’s race and ethnicity. The revisions, the first in nearly three decades, are aimed at creating more accurate and inclusive data to better inform policymaking, legal research efforts to address health disparities. Ninez Ponce, director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, said it was a landmark day for people who work on health data. “As our society evolves to become ever more multicultural and multiethnic,” she said, “these new rules are a crucial step toward recognizing that and toward achieving health equity.”
UCLA Newsroom | March 29, 2024
Utah
The Salt Lake Tribune | News Are more people moving out of Salt Lake County than moving in? Depends on who’s counting.
Whether you see Salt Lake County’s population is growing or think people are leaving in droves, there’s a set of estimates to back you up. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates 3.42 million people lived in Utah as of July 1, 2023. That’s about 39,000 people fewer than estimates from the Utah Population Committee at the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. Most of that difference — one that’s grown larger each year since 2020 — is because of a widening gap in estimates for Salt Lake County.
Megan Banta | March 29, 2024
Washington, D.C.
The GW Hatchet | News Officials distribute Census surveys to residence halls
The U.S. Census Bureau is distributing surveys to University residence halls to prepare for the 2025 American Community Survey. Community coordinators distributed copies of the mandatory American Community Survey Group Quarters survey to randomly selected residents in Fulbright Hall and The Dakota in February and in 1959 E Street last month. The survey asks residents about their ethnic background, education, disability status, work and income to gather data for the upcoming 2025 American Community Survey.
Ella Mitchell and Sachini Adikari | April 1, 2024
Blog Posts and Reports
The Leadership Conference | Press Release The Leadership Conference Applauds New Federal Standards for Race and Ethnicity Data Collection
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights released the following statement after the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) revised federal standards for the collection of race and ethnicity data, allowing for federal data that better reflect the country’s diversity. The new OMB standards, which had not been updated since 1997, will now give the federal government, policymakers, and civil rights organizations a more accurate picture of how civil rights compliance and other programs are being utilized across different racial and ethnic groups.
Rachel Hooper | March 28, 2024
The U.S. Census Bureau | Press Release Census Bureau Statement on Updated Race and Ethnicity Standards
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) today published the results of their Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 (SPD 15) review and issued updated standards for maintaining, collecting and presenting race and ethnicity data. The U.S. Census Bureau commends the scientific integrity and collaboration with our fellow federal statistical agencies and departments throughout this process. These efforts aim to improve federal race and ethnicity statistics and ensure data more accurately reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the U.S. population. As the Census Bureau follows the race and ethnicity standards directed by OMB, we will begin the process of reviewing the updated SPD 15. We will keep the public informed and determine a regular cadence for communications as we develop plans to implement the changes in our censuses and surveys.
Public Information Office | March 28, 2024
The U.S. Census Bureau | Press Release Census Bureau Releases Business Trends and Outlook Survey Data With Artificial Intelligence Supplement
The U.S. Census Bureau today released data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) and a new supplement measuring artificial intelligence (AI). The BTOS measures business conditions and projections on an ongoing basis. The supplemental questions are designed to provide insight into how widespread AI use is by businesses, the specific types of AI that businesses are using, how that use is impacting their employment, and how AI is changing the organization of their business. Businesses were asked about both current and future use of AI. Content from the AI supplement is only available in this cycle. In addition, the Census Bureau today also released new research on this topic.
Julie Iriondo | March 28, 2024
Federal Register | Federal Register Notice Revisions to OMB’s Statistical Policy Directive No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity
By this Notice, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is announcing revisions to Statistical Policy Directive No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity (SPD 15). The revised SPD 15 is presented at the end of this Notice; it replaces and supersedes OMB’s 1997 Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. OMB is taking this action to meet its responsibilities to develop and oversee the implementation of Government-wide principles, policies, standards, and guidelines concerning the development, presentation, and dissemination of statistical information. These revisions to SPD 15 are intended to result in more accurate and useful race and ethnicity data across the Federal government.
Office of Management and Budget | March 28, 2024
The U.S. Census Bureau | Press Release Census Bureau Appoints Members to New 2030 Census Advisory Committee
The U.S. Census Bureau today announced the appointment of 23 members to its new 2030 Census Advisory Committee (2030 CAC). The 2030 CAC members, who represent various stakeholder organizations, groups, interests and viewpoints, have extensive census and survey experience. Under its charter, the 2030 CAC will assist the Census Bureau in devising strategies to increase awareness of and participation in the next decennial census, reduce barriers to response and enhance the public’s trust and willingness to respond.
Public Information Office | March 26, 2024
