NPR | Monday, October 6, 2025 
A major census test begins recruiting workers as some warn about delays

The next U.S. census isn’t scheduled to be taken until 2030, but the federal government says help is wanted well before then in six states for the national head count’s major field test. Recruiting to hire about 1,500 door knockers and other temporary workers for the “2026 Census Test” starts Monday in parts of Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas, the Census Bureau announced on its website. The agency says it received a temporary exemption from President Trump’s freeze on hiring federal civilian workers. The census test is supposed to help the bureau develop better ways of getting complete and accurate population counts and demographic data, especially of historically undercounted populations such as children under the age of 5, people of color and renters. Some people living outside of the test sites may also receive invitations in the mail to participate starting in March 2026 as part of what the bureau calls a “nationally representative sample of households.” While the ongoing federal shutdown has put a halt to work on new government statistics, test preparations have continued because Commerce Department officials supervising the bureau have deemed it a “mission critical priority” ahead of the constitutionally required tally in 2030. Last month, however, the Commerce Department inspector general’s office raised concerns that the bureau may not be able to recruit enough workers for the test. Uncertain funding from Congress and Trump’s…Read more