2026 and 2025 contain key operational milestones for the US Census Bureau in preparation for 2030. This analysis tracks what was expected and where it stands today.

To date, all 2026 and 2025 operational milestones tracked here, all were either dismissed or disrupted, including the crucial 2026 Census Test.

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Delayed or Disrupted

Delayed | July 22: 2030 Census Design and Baseline Operational Plan Released

Expected early 2025, released July 2025.

The Census Bureau plans to use machine learning to build the national address list and to expand the use of administrative records to count nonresponding households.

Disrupted | October 1: American Community Survey Data Collection Disrupted

Data collection for the American Community Survey was suspended for over five weeks during the federal government shutdown.

Data collection resumed when the government reopened on November 12.

Delayed, Disrupted, and Truncated | The Census Bureau did not begin outreach for the 2026 Census Test as designed, and drastically reduced the scope of testing.

Normal, historical testing in six locations was scheduled to begin March 2026. That did not happen.

Instead, the Department of Commerce reduced the number of test sites from six to two — deleting tests in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Western North Carolina; Tribal lands within Arizona; and Western Texas— and only retaining Huntsville, Ala., and Spartanburg, S.C.

The eventual test of only two sites, replaced temporary census workers with U.S. Postal Service staff and the use of an English-only American Community Survey questionnaire that included a citizenship question. 

The Commerce Department’s Office of the Inspector General observed operational, oversight, and technological issues during the significantly altered and truncated tests.

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Not Met or Suspended

Suspended | January 31: Analysis of Gender Identity Data Suspended

The Census Bureau suspended analysis of the gender identity data collected as part of the 2024 ACS SOGI test.

The findings from cognitive interviews and the 2024 test remain unreleased.

Disbanded | March 4: Census Advisory Committees Eliminated

The Census Scientific Advisory Committee; the Census National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations; and the 2030 Census Advisory Committee were eliminated at the direction of Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.

The eliminated committees provided valuable expert guidance and stakeholder-input, and their elimination undermines the transparency of census planning, which is likely to hurt future census accuracy and efficiency.

Discontinued | Census Barriers, Attitudes, and Motivators Survey (CBAMS) Discontinued

The Census Barriers, Attitudes, and Motivators Survey (CBAMS) was discontinued, with some of its questions being moved to the Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey (HTOPS).

The government shutdown disrupted conduction of the newly expanded HTOPS survey, so results are not yet available. However, the data pertaining to census participation, in particular race and ethnicity data, are expected to be less comprehensive than those generated by the discontinued CBAMS.

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No 2025 operational milestones were met on time or as expected.

To date, no 2026 operational milestones have been met on time or as expected.

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