The U.S. Census Bureau has released the initial version of its operational plan for the 2030 Census, providing an overview of key activities needed to conduct a nationwide population and housing count. The plan, referred to as “Baseline 1,” is accompanied by an interactive tool that allows users to explore its contents.
According to the Census Bureau, this first version outlines several core tasks: establishing where people should be counted by identifying all possible residential addresses; encouraging participation and collecting data from households and individuals in various living situations; researching census results to assess coverage and quality; preparing and distributing census data products; planning and managing operations with disciplined program management practices; developing and supporting IT solutions necessary for conducting the census; and ensuring infrastructure needs such as staffing, workspace, and security are met.
“Baseline 1 builds upon the successes of the 2020 Census, with further improvements to increase efficiencies. The plan incorporates research, small-scale testing and public feedback to date. The Census Bureau is set to carry out the 2026 Census Test and 2028 Census Dress Rehearsal to inform subsequent, more detailed versions of the plan. This iterative approach will give the Census Bureau an evidence-based design for the 2030 Census,” according to a statement from the agency.
Future versions of the operational plan are expected to provide additional details about how these activities will be carried out.
