US Census Bureau to Conduct 2026 Practice Runs

In preparation for the 2030 U.S. Census, the Census Bureau will conduct practice runs in six locations across the South and West starting in the spring of 2026. These areas include western Texas, tribal lands in Arizona, Colorado Springs, western North Carolina, Spartanburg in South Carolina, and Huntsville in Alabama. The aim is to improve data collection methods and ensure a more accurate count of historically undercounted populations, such as Black, Hispanic, and Native American communities. The tests will help refine strategies for reaching people in rural, tribal, and fast-growing urban areas with varied internet access and housing conditions. This move follows a significant undercount of minority populations in the 2020 Census, which highlighted the need for better methodologies. The practice runs will also include sending out questionnaires nationwide to test self-response rates in different regions.