A federal judge has determined that the U.S. Census Bureau may continue its count for the 2020 Census until October 31, 2020.
The date was established in accordance with a timeline created after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Trump administration issued guidance in late July instructing the Bureau to finish the count on an expedited schedule and stop its work this month.
Several lawsuits challenged the legality of this decision. Late last week, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh determined that administration’s truncated census schedule is likely to produce inaccurate numbers about historically undercounted groups, including people of color and immigrants. The Trump administration said it would appeal Koh’s ruling.
Massachusetts currently has over a 97 percent enumeration rate, although counting the remaining 3 percent of residents in time remains a Council priority for securing federal funding for hard-to-count communities and achieving accurate data that can guide state and federal policy decisions.
Learn more about the Census on the Council’s home page here.
Back to All News