π¨ The Department of Commerce has submitted a proposed rule to the Office of Management and Budget for review. The rule is titled "Decennial Census of the Population of Americans; Proposed Residence Criteria and Proposed Regulations for Demographic Questions" (tinyurl.com/census-12866). While no additional details have been provided to the public, there are at least three key changes that experts predict may be under consideration:
- Changes to residence criteria to reclassify noncitizens as nonresident.
- Changes to race/ethnicity data collection.
- Addition of a citizenship question.
Given the early stage of the process, there is not yet a call for public comments. However, interested parties can request a "12866 meeting" with staff from the Office of Management and Budget to share their perspectives on the topic and help inform how the rule is drafted.
Join our Rapid Response Data Briefing to learn about the predicted changes and how to request a 12866 meeting so your voice is heard.
ποΈ Tuesday, July 14, 2026
β° 2:30 - 3 PM ET
π Register here: tinyurl.com/census-12866-rapid-response
Co-hosted by dataindex.us, Association of Public Data Users, Population Reference Bureau, The Leadership Conference Education Fund, Census Quality Reinforcement Task Force, Population Association of America, and Association of Population Centers.
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Beth Jarosz
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