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.
December 16, 2024 Census Coalition Clips
National
AsAm News | News Research suggests health disparities among Pacific Islanders
Recent research has highlighted significant disparities in ovarian cancer survival rates within AANHPI communities, with Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders experiencing the poorest outcomes. These disparities are critical, revealing important patterns in how ovarian cancer affects different ethnic groups and raising questions about the underlying causes. Dr. Alice W. Lee, a researcher at California State University in Fullerton, examined these disparities in her research on ovarian cancer patients within the AANHPI population, Science Direct reports. While Asian Americans overall have been observed to have the highest ovarian cancer survival rates among other racial groups in the U.S., Lee’s recent findings emphasize that this generalization masks significant disparities between the various ethnic subgroups.
Paris Huynh | December 14, 2024
Milwaukee Independent | News Sexual orientation and gender questions on track to be part of U.S. Census Bureau survey by 2027
Questions about sexual orientation, gender identity, and changes to queries about race and ethnicity are on track to be asked in the most comprehensive survey of American life by 2027, U.S. Census Bureau officials said in November. The new or revised questions on the American Community Survey will show up on questionnaires and be asked by survey takers in as early as three years, with the data from those questions available the following year, officials told an advisory committee. Some of the revised questions are the result of changes the federal government announced earlier this year about how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity. The changes were the first in 27 years and were aimed at better counting people who identify as Hispanic and of Middle Eastern and North African heritage.
Reporter | December 14, 2024
New York Post | News Americans are abandoning cities and settling down in these peaceful ‘ex-burbs’
One American county, known as “the heart of the citrus industry,” now has many people flocking to it in groves. Haines City in Polk County, Florida — located between Tampa and Orlando — joins a list of several other southern communities experiencing a population boom. Haines City has seen an increase of 30,000 new residents last year, according to US Census Bureau data, snagging the title as one of the “hottest migration destination[s] in the entire country.” Labeled as “ex-burbs,” these areas are usually 40-60 miles away from major metropolitan cities and can offer more peaceful ways of life and “affordable housing” options.
Kaylee Holland | December 14, 2024
Heritage Foundation | News Freeing People From the Left Starts With the U.S. Census
The census creates groups and identities, and activists instill grievances in members of some groups, hoping to achieve societal change. Once the government creates a racial category, the activists know that it will become one in the popular imagination. Look at Hispanics. Eliminating all the artificially created racial and ethnic categories makes sense, and people would support the government doing so.
Mike Gonzalez | December 12, 2024
AP News | News Fewer US grandparents are taking care of grandchildren, according to new data
Fewer grandparents were living with and taking care of grandchildren, there was a decline in young children going to preschool and more people stayed put in their homes in the first part of the 2020s compared with the last part of the 2010s, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released Thursday, reflecting some of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest figures from the most comprehensive survey of American life compare the years 2014-2018 and 2019-2023, timeframes before the COVID-19 pandemic and during the virus’ spread. The American Community Survey data show how lives were changed and family relationships altered by the pandemic and other occurrences like the opioid crisis.
Mike Schneider | December 12, 2024
NextGov | News Then and now: Census Bureau readies release of American Community Survey
The Census Bureau periodically releases publications that feature a deep analysis of key pieces of that raw data. A perfect example of that is the American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for 2019 to 2023 publication, which is due out later this month. The ACS provides a fascinating and detailed look at American life, including things like where people are living and who resides in their households, what languages they speak, their level of education, the mortgage or rent they pay, how much they earn at their jobs and even what kind of health insurance coverage they have. Once the ACS is released, expect even more analysis from both the public and private sector as people look to analyze trends in everything from poverty to crime to economic opportunity, and to make predictions about where we are likely heading in the future.
Joe Breeden II | December 12, 2024
New York Times | News Recent Immigration Surge Has Been Largest in U.S. History
The immigration surge of the past few years has been the largest in U.S. history, surpassing the great immigration boom of the late 1800s and early 1900s, according to a New York Times analysis of government data. Annual net migration — the number of people coming to the country minus the number leaving — averaged 2.4 million people from 2021 to 2023, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Total net migration during the Biden administration is likely to exceed eight million people. That’s a faster pace of arrivals than during any other period on record, including the peak years of Ellis Island traffic, when millions of Europeans came to the United States. Even after taking into account today’s larger U.S. population, the recent surge is the most rapid since at least 1850.
David Leonhardt | December 11, 2024
States
California
Community Impact | News New census data shows Bay Area grew in population, increased in median age
The U.S. Census Bureau on Dec. 12 released new five-year data for 2023 as part of its American Community Survey, or ACS. The results show, among many shifts, League City is continuing to grow and is also becoming more diverse. The new data represents a 5-year estimate of the population across the country from 2019 to 2023, according to the Census website. This data compares with the 2018 survey results, which studied the country from 2014 to 2018. In the new 2023 data, League City grew from around 101,000 people to nearly 115,000, which represents a nearly 14% increase, according to the survey results.
James T. Norman | December 12, 2024
Hawai’i
SFGate | News Hawaii’s population continues decline as more move to California
For the eighth consecutive year, Hawaii’s population is declining, according to the United States Census Bureau’s Vintage 2023 population estimates. “Hawaii’s population declined since 2016 in part due to increases in out-migration but also because of decreases in the number of in-migrants from the Mainland,” the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization stated in a 2020 post. “The Mainland has become a more attractive place to live for many Hawaii residents while Hawaii has become less attractive for potential Mainland in-migrants.”
Christine Hitt | December 14, 2024
Blog Posts and Reports
U.S. Census Bureau | Press Release Nearly All U.S. Counties Had More Homeowners Than Renters Between 2019 and 2023
The number of owner-occupied housing units increased by 8.4%, from 76.4 million in 2014-2018 to 82.9 million in 2019-2023, according to newly released U.S. Census Bureau data. The 2019-2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates show that more people owned homes than rented in 3,070 of the nation’s 3,144 counties and county equivalents between 2019 and 2023. The rise in both homeownership and home values also came with an increase in the number of owner-occupied households without a mortgage, increasing between the two 5-year periods by 3.9 million units, from 36.9% of owned homes in the 2014-2018 ACS estimates to 38.8% in the 2019-2023 ACS estimates.
Patricia Ramos | December 12, 2024
U.S. Census Bureau | Press Release Census Bureau Releases 2022 Nonemployer Statistics
The U.S. Census Bureau today released the 2022 Nonemployer Statistics (NES). Nonemployer Statistics is a data product released annually that provides subnational economic data for businesses that have no paid employees, are subject to federal income tax, and have receipts of $1,000 or more ($1 or more for the Construction sector). The data consist of the number of nonemployer establishments and receipts by the 2022 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Statistics are available for 18 industry sectors at varying levels of industry detail at the national, state, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area, combined statistical area, and county geography levels. They are also published by legal form of organization (national and state only) and by receipts-size class (national only).
Mitchell A. Friedman ? December 12, 2024
As always, you can find earlier clips here.
December 9, 2024 Census Coalition Clips
National
The Washington Post | News What’s America’s largest ethnic group, and why did we get it wrong for so long?
What’s America’s largest ethnic group? Normies might consider our roots in the British Empire, observe our majority-White population, heed the language spoken all around them, and conclude that the obvious answer is “the English.” But those of us nerdy enough to, say, write a data column would be waiting in the wings, itching to parachute in with a “well, actually …” Because while “ethnic group” is hard to define, the most detailed Census Bureau ancestry data consistently shows the most common ancestry in America is actually German!
Andrew Van Dam | December 6, 2024
The Washington Examiner | News Census Bureau director: Citizenship question in 2030 would ‘dampen participation’
House lawmakers tussled with one another and the top U.S. census official over the possible inclusion of a question on U.S. citizenship in the forthcoming decennial census in 2030 and drew criticism from the head of the Census Bureau over the need for such a question. U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Santos testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Thursday morning and was blitzed by Democrats and Republicans with debate over the need to include all U.S. residents in the census versus asking them about their immigration status to determine who is a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or illegal immigrant.
Anna Giaritelli | December 5, 2024
Economic Policy Institute | News New data explore U.S. economic conditions by race and ethnicity—including for American Indian and Alaska Native communities
This November, EPI’s Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy updated our interactive chartbook showing racially disaggregated data across several domains, including population demographics, civic engagement, labor market outcomes, and health. In addition to updating the charts with the most recent data available, many of the charts now include new data on American Indian and Alaskan Native (AIAN) populations. The chartbook was originally created as part of our Advancing Anti-Racist Economic Research and Policy handbook that includes a series of essays capturing perspectives and resources on race, ethnicity, and the economy.
Kyle K. Moore | December 4, 2024
Blog Posts and Reports
U.S. Census Bureau | Press Release Census Bureau Announces New National Advisory Committee Members
The U.S. Census Bureau today announced the appointment of five new members to its National Advisory Committee (NAC). The NAC considers topics such as hard-to-reach populations, race and ethnicity, language, aging populations, American Indian and Alaska Native tribal considerations, new immigrant populations, populations affected by natural disasters, highly mobile and migrant populations, complex households, rural populations, and population segments with limited access to technology. The Committee also advises on data privacy and confidentiality, among other issues.
Public Information Office | December 6, 2024
The Leadership Conference | Press Release Congress Must Support an Independent, Fully Funded Census Bureau
As the nation’s foremost and largest federal statistical agency, the U.S. Census Bureau collects and publishes data through the decennial census and other surveys that inform public, private, and nonprofit sector evidence-based decisions. The Census Bureau’s core work is required by the U.S. Constitution; its data ensure fair representation and guide the apportionment of congressional seats and the prudent, fair allocation of $2.8 trillion a year in federal assistance. That is why the agency’s activities must be apolitical, free from interference, and conducted in accordance with the highest scientific principles.
Rachel Hooper | December 5, 2024
U.S. Census Bureau | Press Release New Economic Data Now Available for the Nation, States and Local Areas
The U.S. Census Bureau today released new national, state and local economic data from the 2022 Economic Census, a primary source of information about the U.S. economy. The Geographic Area Statistics provide detailed industry statistics by geographic area, including states, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, counties, and places for employer businesses (those with paid employees) in the United States. Data include the number of firms, establishments, employees, sales, and annual and first quarter payroll.
Jewel Jordan | December 5, 2024
U.S. Census Bureau | Press Release Census Bureau to Host Embargo for 2019-2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
The U.S. Census Bureau is scheduled to embargo new 2019-2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates beginning on Dec. 10, at 10 a.m. EST, which are set to be publicly released on Dec. 12. The ACS provides a wide range of statistics about the nation’s people and housing such as language spoken at home, education, commuting, employment, mortgage status and rent, income, poverty and health insurance coverage. It is the only source of local estimates for most of the 40-plus topics it covers. The statistics will be available to embargo subscribers beginning Dec. 10, at 10 a.m. EST for a variety of geographic areas. This includes all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, congressional and state legislative districts, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, counties, places, and other geographies down to census tracts and block groups.
Patricia Ramos | December 4, 2024
U.S. Census Bureau | Press Release Demographic and Housing Characteristics Data Available for 119th Congress
The U.S. Census Bureau today released the 2020 Census 119th Congressional District Summary File. The file updates tables previously released as part of the 2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics File to reflect the 119th congressional districts and 2024 state legislative districts in effect for the November 2024 elections.
Stacy Gimbel Vidal | December 4, 2024
As always, you can find earlier clips here.
December 2, 2024 Census Coalition Clips
National
Investment News | News How the gender wealth gap persists among unmarried Americans
A recent analysis of US Census Bureau data highlights a notable wealth disparity among single adults, with unmarried women lagging behind their male counterparts. However, the report from the Pew Research Center shows that this gap closes when factoring in parental status, as unmarried women without children displayed similar wealth levels to single men in general. In 2022, the median wealth of single men was $82,100, compared with $58,100 for single women, according to the data. However, unmarried women without children under 18 had a median wealth of $87,200, roughly on par with single men. Single mothers, by contrast, reported a median wealth of just $10,700.
Leo Almazora | December 2, 2024
Stateline | News The next census will gather more racial, ethnic information
The U.S. Census Bureau and a growing number of states are starting to gather more detailed information about Americans’ race and ethnicity, a change some advocates of the process say will allow people to choose identities that more closely reflect how they see themselves. Crunching and sorting through those specific details — known as data disaggregation — will help illuminate disparities in areas such as housing and health outcomes that could be hidden within large racial and ethnic categories. But some experts say the details also might make it harder for Black people from multiracial countries to identify themselves.
Tim Henderson | November 26, 2024
JDSupra | News Census Bureau Plans to Implement New Race/Ethnicity Standards Over Time
The U.S. Census Bureau recently announced its plans to implement the revised race-ethnicity standards set forth by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Earlier this year, OMB finalized its highly anticipated revisions to Statistical Policy Directive No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity (SPD 15). This is the first time SPD 15 has been updated since 1997. To recap, some revisions of interest include an additional race category for individuals with roots in the “Middle East or North Africa” (abbreviated as “MENA”), the ability to select more than one race or ethnic designation on the form, and the incorporation of “Hispanic or Latino” into the list of race categories (rather than listed as a separate ethnicity question).
Lily Kerr | November 25, 2024
Blog Posts and Reports
U.S. Census Bureau | Tip Sheet Tip Sheet Number 24 — November 29, 2024
The U.S. Census Bureau has posted anticipated release dates for each regular and recurring statistical product scheduled for release in 2024. These products are listed in the Census Bureau’s online product calendar, which is updated as needed throughout the year.
Public Information Office | November 29, 2024
House Oversight Committee | Press Release Comer Announces Hearing on Oversight of the U.S. Census Bureau
House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) today announced an upcoming hearing titled, “Oversight of the U.S. Census Bureau.” The hearing will examine the Census Bureau’s activities, including preparations for the 2030 decennial census, and review the Census Bureau’s 2020 Post-Enumeration Survey (PES), which revealed statistically significant miscounts in the 2020 census in 14 states. These miscounts likely skewed the apportionment of representation in the House of Representatives and allocation of electoral college votes among states.
House Oversight Committee | November 27, 2024
U.S. Census Bureau | Press Release Census Bureau Releases International Population Estimates and Projections
The U.S. Census Bureau today released new population estimates, projections and other demographic data up to the year 2100 for 34 countries and areas in the International Database (IDB). The release also includes data for over 16,900 subnational areas similar to U.S. states, counties and townships around the world, along with enhanced mapping features. The current update incorporates new data from censuses, surveys and administrative records, and updated analyses based on those data.
Patricia Ramos | November 26, 2024
