The Census Bureau has proposed rules that could change who is counted in the 2030 Census and how, or even whether, race is tracked. That's raising concerns among North Carolina nonprofit leaders about political representation, federal funding and the quality of public data.
The new proposal would only count U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents towards population totals when dividing congressional seats among states. That's in contrast to the historical approach of counting all residents. It would also remove any questions about respondents' race and ethnicity, and change how the Census Bureau decides exactly where people live.
The NC Counts Coalition held a virtual webinar Monday to discuss what the changes could mean for North Carolina communities.
Nathan Dollar, director of Carolina Demography at UNC-Chapel Hill, said the Census is central to public planning across the state.
“The proposed rule will fundamentally change the quality of the 2030 census count, and then it imperils the public’s access to objective data more generally,” Dollar said. “That’s the bottom line.”
Census data helps communities plan for public health, schools and businesses. It is also used in redistricting and to distribute federal resources.
The public can submit comments on the proposal through Oct. 13.
