Appropriations Update
As reported in a January 7 Census Project blog, Congress unveiled details of a three-bill Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations minibus package, H.R. 6938, that included the Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) appropriations bill, which funds the Census Bureau. Specifically, the CJS bill that was included in the minibus provides the Bureau with nearly $1.5 billion in Fiscal Year 2026 — a slight increase over the agency’s FY 2025 funding level of $1.38 billion. It is less than the amount ($1.6765 billion) that the House Appropriations Committee recommended and census stakeholders supported.
Census stakeholders were pleased to see that the final agreement excluded a provision that the House Appropriations Committee had proposed in their version of the FY 2026 CJS appropriations bill. Section 605 of that bill would have limited the Census Bureau to no more than two follow-up inquiries across all of its surveys. If enacted, this language would have decimated response rates for all of the Bureau’s surveys and been especially consequential for the American Community Survey and decennial census.
The funding measure passed the House of Representatives and Senate on January 14 and 15, respectively. President Trump signed the bill into law on January 23. The Census Bureau is now fully funded through September 30, 2026, when the current fiscal year ends.
Deliberations over the Census Bureau’s Fiscal Year 2027 funding will begin in earnest after the President submits his proposed budget to Congress. The budget is usually submitted to Congress in February, but could be postponed due to ongoing negotiations over the remaining Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bills that have not been signed into law.
Policy Update
Census Bureau Issues Numerous Updates to Federal Regulations
On January 23, the Census Bureau published several Federal Register Notices, announcing their intention to revise or remove outdated regulations. The Census Project reported on these announcements, which are not open for public comments.
- Census Bureau announced the removal of several redundant or outdated regulations, including a public access cross reference, cutoff dates for boundary changes regarding the 2010 Census, and the Census Bureau’s official seal. See January 30 Census Project blog.
- Census Bureau announced it was removing 15 CFR part 101, regulations “related to the release of decennial census population information,” saying they are “obsolete and have not applied to the determination of methodology for calculating the tabulations of total population reported to states and localities under 13 U.S.C. 141(c) since the decennial census in 2000.” See January 29 Census Project blog.
- Census Bureau issued a new rule “eliminating its regulations pertaining to a now-obsolete joint effort between the United States Department of Commerce (Commerce) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to train foreign nationals in census and statistical procedures,” effective January 23, 2026. See January 27 Census Project blog.
Stuart Levenbach Named New U.S. Chief Statistician
On January 28, The Census Project reported that Stuart Levenbach had been named the new U.S. Chief Statistician in the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Dr. Levenbach replaces Mark Calabria who had been in the position since July 2025. Members of The Census Project Advisory Committee met with Dr. Calabria and senior OMB staff on January 9.
Statistical Agency Integrity and Independence Act Introduced
As reported in a January 15 Census Project blog, the text of the Statistical Agency Integrity and Independence Act (H.R. 4907) was released. The bill, which Rep. George Whitesides (D-CA-27) introduced in early August 2025, would restrict the President’s ability to fire the heads of the Census Bureau, BLS, National Center for Education Statistics, and Bureau of Justice Statistics, while also severely limiting the White House’s power and authority over them. The bill was referred to the following committees for further consideration: Education and Workforce; Oversight and Government Reform; and Judiciary.
Requests for Public Comments
Throughout January, The Census Project highlighted requests for public comments that may be of interest to census stakeholders:
- January 5—Census Bureau seeks follow-up comments on generic clearance for “developing and testing questionnaires that will be used by staff from the Census Bureau and sponsoring agencies to evaluate and improve the quality of the data in the surveys and censuses that are ultimately conducted.” The Federal Register Notice says that this is a request for an extension, without change, of a currently-approved data collection. Comments were due January 30.
- January 23—The Census Bureau is seeking public comments by February 20, 2026, regarding plans to continue the Annual Integrated Economic Survey (AIES), according to a Federal Register Notice.
Census Bureau Releases
On January 6, Census Bureau Deputy Director Ron Jarmin published a blog regarding the Census Bureau’s Center for Economic Studies.
On January 14, the Census Bureau released the December 2025 Business Formation Statistics.
New data products from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), a survey that measures business conditions and projections on an ongoing basis were released on January 15 and January 29.
On January 21, the Census Bureau released new state-level statistics on geographic mobility and place of birth in 2024. Geographic mobility refers to the movement of people within and across boundaries.
The 2024 Planning Database (PDB), which includes the Low Response Score (LRS) and other new 2020 Census operational data, were released on January 22.
According to the new Vintage 2026 population estimates released on January 27, population growth in the United States has slowed significantly with an increase of only 1.8 million, or 0.5%, between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025.
On January 27, the Bureau released new data from the 2024 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), which provide the only single-year income and poverty statistics for the nation’s 3,143 counties and 13,126 school districts. SAIPE data are used to allocate funding under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
The percentage of women with a recent birth who were unmarried decreased by 4.8 percentage points, from 35.7% (or under 1.5 million) in 2011 to 30.9% (or 1.2 million) in 2023, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report titled Social and Economic Characteristics of Currently Unmarried Women With a Recent Birth: 2023. The report was released on January 28.
The percentage of adults age 25 and over with a bachelor’s degree or higher increased significantly in metropolitan statistical areas (metro areas), up from 34.2% during the 2015-2019 period to 37.8% during the 2020-2024 period, according to new American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates released on January 29.
On January 29, the 2024 Community Resilience Estimates (CRE), which highlight areas in the United States most socially vulnerable to the impacts from natural disasters, were released.
News You Can Use
Below are several articles posted on The Census Project home page in January 2026. For a complete listing, go to: 2026 Media – The Census Project. The news media coverage is not necessarily endorsed or supported by The Census Project, but is provided to give census stakeholders a wide spectrum of views and materials.
Yes, it’s more expensive to live in Texas, census finds
The Texas Tribune
January 29, 2026
How population growth is quietly redrawing America’s political map
Deseret News
January 29, 2026
Data tool: See how demographics in your community are changing
The Boston Globe
January 29, 2026
What the Census Says About the U.S. Population, in Six Charts
The Wall Street Journal
January 28, 2026
A crackdown on immigration is leading to a sharp drop in U.S. population growth
NPR
January 27, 2026
The states people have moved to – and left – the most: Census data
The Hill
January 26, 2026
Nearly Half of Hispanic Children Live in Families With Low Incomes
Child Trends
January 22, 2026
How unified workforce data could reshape federal mission readiness
FEDSCOOP
January 15, 2026
Strong US retail sales in November showcase economy’s resilience
Reuters
January 14, 2025
New-Home Prices Fall to 4-Year Low as Builders Deepen Discounts
Realtor.com
January 13, 2026
America’s Statistical System Is Breaking Down
Bloomberg
January 9, 2026
