These fact sheets are part of NLC’s 2030 LUCA resource collection. An accurate census ensures fair funding and representation for your community for the next decade–and preparation starts now. Explore The 2030 Census and Cities initiative page for a full timeline, FAQs and additional resources to help your municipality prepare.
What is the Decennial Census?
Every 10 years (in years ending in 0), the U.S. Census Bureau conducts a census to determine the number of people living in the United States. The decennial census is more than just a population count; it’s the foundation for how federal resources and political representation are distributed across the country. For cities, an accurate census ensures fair funding for essential services like roads, schools, housing and emergency response. It also informs decisions made by businesses, developers, nonprofits and local leaders.
The 2030 Census will officially happen on April 1, 2030, but to ensure that everyone is accurately counted, preparation must begin well before this date.
What Went Wrong in 2020?
The 2020 Decennial Count had compounding issues that led to a significant undercount in some states and local jurisdictions, especially in university communities. While university communities may have multiple hard-to-count populations, students are often a large component of the population and are historically hard-to-count.
The Census Bureau was not adequately prepared for the 2020 Census.
- The Bureau had planned a large number of field tests to prepare for the 2020 census, but most of them were canceled or delayed because of “budgetary concerns”. Both the Census Bureau and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) have found that these cancelations directly led to population.
- The Bureau is making this mistake again. To read more, see NLC’s blog on changes made to the 2026 test sites.
The COVID-19 pandemic made it hard to count the resident population, especially for university communities.
- Students, faculty and staff were sent home in March 2020; one month before the national headcount began for the decennial census. This disrupted census outreach efforts, and institutions of higher education and their surrounding communities struggled to accurately account for students who had abruptly left campus. There was confusion over whether students should be counted at their on-campus housing or at off-campus or family residences, ultimately affecting the accuracy of population counts.
While the pandemic led to additional chaos, counting students is always difficult.
- The Census Bureau depends heavily on information that colleges and universities provide to count students, but many students who live off campus are not required to report their local address to their school. Because of this gap, off-campus students are significantly more likely to be undercounted.
- While students live, work and learn in their university communities, many of them still feel like they reside in their childhood towns. Targeted outreach and education on how the decennial census works and why it’s important to be accurately counted is crucial.
- Many students move frequently, rent apartments in multiunit buildings and may not receive census mailings. Additionally, some young adults may not realize they are responsible for completing the census themselves. Census research found that more than 39% of young adults were unfamiliar with the 2020 Census, and more than 18% reported being unlikely to respond.
Why is it Important to get an Accurate Count in Your Community?
- Data from the census helps determine federal funding for communities for the next 10 years. University towns and cities will lose federal funding and representation if not all residents are accurately counted.
- Students use local resources, including roads, public and health clinics. Additionally, information from the census helps determine Pell grants, and impacts campus funding. Almost every public service that communities rely on has some link to census-guided funding, and securing those funds depends on students being counted in the right place in each census.
How Communities Should Prepare
- Work with your local colleges and universities to assist with student outreach and access important residential information.
- Universities have important information about Group Quarters (GQs) that can help ensure everyone is accurately counted. For example, in Ames, Iowa, partnering with the Department of Residence provided crucial data about which facilities qualified as GQs and which did not. This clarity allowed proactive outreach to residents living in facilities that would not be counted as GQs, helping prevent potential undercounts.
- Departments you may want to reach out to include the Registrar, Communications, and the Department of Residence.
- Work with the Census Group Quarters Advance Contact (GQAC).
- More information on Group Quarters will be available closer to 2030.
- Develop an outreach plan to educate students, living both on and off-campus, on the importance of being counted in 2030.
- Ensure specific outreach with typically undercounted groups including non-English speakers, first-generation students, students experiencing homelessness, and highly mobile students.
- Understand how Census data is used.
- Under Title 13, Census Bureau employees are sworn to uphold the confidentiality of your data for life. Census responses can only be used to produce statistical information, and personal information cannot be seen or used by other government agencies or the courts.
How Should Students Be Counted?
Students are counted at their “usual residence,” meaning the place where they live and sleep most of the time as of April 1 of the census year. Though students may spend time elsewhere during breaks, they should still be counted in the address they live in most of the year.
- Students living off-campus: Students who live in off-campus housing that is not owned or managed by their college or university are responsible for ensuring they are counted at that address. If living with roommates, only one census response per household should be submitted and it must include every person living there.
- Students living on-campus: Students who live in on-campus housing, such as residence halls, dormitories, or university-managed apartments (including university-owned off-campus housing), should be counted through coordination between the Census Bureau and the educational institution.
Need More Information?
Email the Census team with any questions.
More Resources
Preparing for LUCA
A Resource Guide for Stakeholders
4 Stories Every City Should Tell More Often
- CGI Digital
CitiesSpeak Features El Paso Mayor Pro Tem Alejandra Chavez on Preparing Now for 2030 Census
Elevate Your City’s Storytelling — Without Paying to Do So
- CGI Digital
- NLC Partnerships
From Data to Decisions: The Essential Work of a City Demographer
- CitiesSpeak Guest
CitiesSpeak Podcast: Avoiding a Census Undercount with Mayor Pro Tem Alejandra Chávez
From Data to Decisions: Why America’s Cities Turn to the American Community Survey
- CitiesSpeak Guest