Protect a Fair, Complete and Accurate 2030 Census

The U.S. Department of Commerce and the Census Bureau published a proposed regulation that would make significant changes to how the 2030 Decennial Census counts people and collects demographic data. If implemented, the proposed changes would directly impact the people and communities that nonprofits serve every day. To learn more, read the full analysis and press statement from the National Council of Nonprofits.

The U.S. Constitution requires our nation to undertake a census every 10 years to count all people living in the United States. The data collected by the decennial census determines the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives and is used to distribute hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds to local communities. Census data is also used by nonprofits, state and local governments, businesses, and others to make critical decisions about how to serve communities, where to invest resources, and how to better address local needs. It is critical that the decennial census provides a fair, accurate, and transparent count and that it meets the requirements set in the Constitution.

The proposed changes would undermine the census's ability to provide a fair and accurate count of the people living in America. If implemented, the proposal would exclude broad categories of people, including international students, H-1B visa holders, refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented people and others, from the population count used to allocate congressional seats and federal funding. The proposed regulation would also eliminate questions on race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, an unprecedented departure from the census’s longstanding practice of collecting critical demographic information. These changes would undercount the number of people living in communities, reducing their access to federal resources and political representation, and they would make it harder to understand changing community needs and address racial, social, and other disparities.

Nonprofits now have 30 days to make their voices heard!

The National Council of Nonprofits has created resources to help nonprofits take action to protect a fair, complete, and accurate 2030 Census. Between now and October 13, we encourage nonprofits to:

• Sign onto a national letter opposing the proposed changes to the Census.
• Submit public comments. Use NCN’s comment guide, which includes a summary of the proposed regulation, talking points, a comment template, and instructions on how to submit comments. Comments are due by October 13, 2026.