Featured Article: Decennial Census FAQ (August 26th, 2024)
Congressional Communities is featuring one Congressional Research Service (CRS) article per day in effort to share with our readers the wealth of information that the CRS makes readily available.
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Today’s featured CRS article, “Decennial Census and Apportionment: Frequently Asked Questions,” answers frequently asked questions about the census, which happens every ten years and collects information about the population of the United States. Some of the answered questions include:
- What functions does the decennial census perform?
- How does the decennial census differ from the American Community Survey (ACS)?
- What happens if someone avoids, gives false answers on, or misuses data from the decennial census?
- Who determines which census questions to include?
This article falls under the issue area of Government Operations and Politics. From the CRS:
Every 10 years, the U.S. Constitution requires administration of a national census — an “actual Enumeration” — conducted “in such Manner as [Congress] shall by Law direct.” The next decennial census is scheduled to be conducted in 2030. At times, Congress has considered legislation to address decennial census operations. In the 118th Congress, for example, H.R. 7109 passed the House and is one of several bills introduced to require a citizenship question on the decennial census and to base apportionment of House seats on the U.S. citizen population (see also H.R. 6942 and S. 3659). Another introduced bill, H.R. 7911, would prohibit inclusion of a citizenship question on the decennial census.
This Insight addresses common questions regarding decennial census population counts and their role in congressional apportionment.
Interested readers can find the full article here.
