While the federal data landscape has been undergoing rapid change over the last couple of years, two new developments have introduced even more change to the already shifting landscape:
- A new proposed rule that would substantially change census residence criteria and demographic data collection in the 2030 Census.
- A new Disclosure Avoidance Order (DAO) that changes what privacy methods can be implemented in public data products, including in Census data products such as the decennial census and the American Community Survey (ACS).
In a new publication prepared for State Health & Value Strategies, SHADAC authors Emily Zylla and Elizabeth Lukanen explain the major changes introduced by both the proposed 2030 census rule and the new Disclosure Avoidance Order.
They go on to detail the potential impacts of proposed and upcoming changes, noting how state policymakers and data professionals, specifically, could be impacted.
“These developments raise important questions not only about how Census data will be collected and released, but also about the future availability, precision, and reliability of the information used to measure disparities, target resources, and evaluate policy outcomes,” authors say.
Read the full publication, which includes our experts’ detailed explanations of major proposed changes and their potential state impacts, on the SHVS website here.
Proposed 2030 Census Rule—Public Comments Open Through November 2nd
States and other stakeholders could consider submitting public comments regarding the proposed changes to the 2030 census; comments can include feedback, perspectives on the proposed timeline, details of potential impacts of the proposed changes on states, concerns regarding proposed changes, or any other input you may have.
Those interested can submit public comments at this link; comments are due by the end of the day on November 2, 2026.
Note: The comment timeline was extended from October 13th to November 2nd.