Census Bureau to Test Citizenship Question for 2030 Census

The 2026 field test will use the American Community Survey, which includes a citizenship question, raising concerns about potential changes to the decennial count.

Published on Feb. 6, 2026

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The U.S. Census Bureau plans to use a survey form with a citizenship question as part of its practice test of the 2030 census, raising questions about whether the Trump administration might try to make a significant change to the once-a-decade headcount that failed during the president's first term. The field test being conducted in Huntsville, Alabama, and Spartanburg, South Carolina, is using questions from the American Community Survey, the comprehensive survey of American life, rather than questions from recent census forms.

Why it matters

The inclusion of a citizenship question in the 2030 census field test raises concerns about potential efforts to exclude undocumented immigrants from the apportionment process, which could have significant political implications for the distribution of congressional seats and Electoral College votes.

The details

The Census Bureau did not respond to inquiries about why the American Community Survey questions, which include a citizenship question, were being used for the 2026 test. Experts say the ACS questions have never been used for a census field test before, and that the 2026 test has been significantly pared down from the original plan, raising concerns about the validity of the results.

  • The 2026 field test is being conducted in Huntsville, Alabama, and Spartanburg, South Carolina.
  • The original 2026 field test was supposed to take place in six locations, but the Trump administration earlier this week announced that it had eliminated four sites.

The players

U.S. Census Bureau

The federal agency responsible for conducting the decennial census and other surveys.

Donald Trump

The former president who unsuccessfully tried to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census and signed orders that would have excluded people in the U.S. illegally from the apportionment figures.

Joe Biden

The current president who rescinded Trump's orders related to the census and citizenship data.

Terri Ann Lowenthal

A former congressional staffer who consults on census issues and expressed concerns about the pared-down 2026 field test.

Mark Mather

An associate vice president at the Population Reference Bureau, a nonpartisan research group, who said the use of the American Community Survey questions would not provide a valid test of 2030 census operations.

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What they’re saying

“This full pivot from a real field test is alarming and deserves immediate congressional attention, in my view.”

— Terri Ann Lowenthal, Former congressional staffer and census consultant (kshb.com)

“The ACS form wouldn't provide a valid test of 2030 census operations. It's a completely different animal.”

— Mark Mather, Associate Vice President, Population Reference Bureau (kshb.com)

What’s next

The Census Bureau's decision to use the American Community Survey questions in the 2026 field test will likely face scrutiny from Congress and civil rights groups, who may raise concerns about the potential impact on the accuracy and fairness of the 2030 census.

The takeaway

The inclusion of a citizenship question in the 2030 census field test raises concerns about potential efforts to exclude undocumented immigrants from the apportionment process, which could have significant political implications for the distribution of congressional seats and Electoral College votes. This issue is likely to be a major point of contention in the lead-up to the 2030 census.