Census experts with the American Statistical Association have been evaluating the state population numbers used to reallocate congressional seats and Electoral College votes for the next decade.
The white population is still the largest racial group in the U.S. Whether it is declining depends on how you define "white." Narrow definitions, researchers warn, can be misleading and dangerous.
On today's show, new data from the U.S. Census Bureau reveal a dramatic decline of population in rural Georgia. The news suggest a major shift in political power in the state is underway and will play a major role when legislators begin their redistricting session in the coming months.
No census has been perfect. COVID-19, Trump officials' interference and the Census Bureau's new privacy protections have raised concerns about the reliability of demographic data from the 2020 count.
The Trump administration had stalled on reviewing the proposals, which the Census Bureau says would produce more accurate data about Latinos and people with roots in the Middle East or North Africa.
For more than 200 years, the census was overseen by white leaders. Holmes' 1998 stint as acting director blazed a trail for Biden's pick, who may become the count's first permanent director of color.
Robert Santos, one of the country's leading statisticians, could become the first person of color to lead the U.S. Census Bureau as a Senate-confirmed director.
A lower court has denied Alabama's request to force the Census Bureau to move up the release of new redistricting data and stop plans for a different way of keeping people's information confidential.
The Census Bureau must protect people's privacy when it releases demographic data from the 2020 count. Plans to change how it does that have sparked controversy over how it may affect redistricting.
Small census numbers can make a big difference. If Minnesota's 2020 count included 26 fewer residents, it might have lost a seat in Congress — a seat that New York fell short of winning by 89 people.
Tuesday on Political Rewind: Newly released census figures show Georgia’s population grew by one million people, a more than 10% increase, in the past decade. What do the new numbers mean for Georgia? Also, former Georgia congressman Doug Collins announced he will sit out the 2022 election cycle.
Based on population shifts recorded by the 2020 census, Texas, Florida and North Carolina are among the states gaining representation, while California, New York and Pennsylvania are losing influence.
About 97,000 troops who are stationed in the U.S. but were deployed abroad during the census could help shift congressional seats and Electoral College votes to states with military bases or ports.
The 2020 census results are months overdue after COVID-19 upended the national count. Efforts to extend reporting deadlines stalled last year after Trump officials decided to cut short counting.
If confirmed by the Senate, Robert Santos, president of the American Statistical Association, would be the bureau's first permanent director of color overseeing the national count and major surveys.
