The U.S. Census Bureau announced in the Federal Register on October 22, 2025, its submission of an information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget for the 2026 Census Test's Group Quarters Advance Contact operation. This step, required under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, seeks clearance for contacting administrators at 600 group quarters facilities across six test sites in the United States. Scheduled for February through March 2026, the operation aims to gather essential details like facility types, contact information, expected populations, and preferred enumeration methods. By doing so, it supports the broader goal of refining data collection processes for the 2030 Census, particularly for populations in group living settings. This development highlights the Bureau's efforts to make census operations more efficient and accurate, addressing challenges in counting diverse housing arrangements amid evolving demographic trends.
Background and Purpose
Group quarters refer to living arrangements where unrelated individuals share facilities, often with communal features or services, such as college dormitories, nursing homes, correctional facilities, or military barracks. Accurate enumeration of these populations has long been a challenge for the Census Bureau, as evidenced by operations in previous decennials like the 2020 Census. The 2026 Census Test, including this advance contact phase, builds on lessons from past efforts to streamline processes and reduce burdens on respondents.
The initiative stems from the Bureau's commitment to a cost-effective 2030 Census, as outlined in its strategic planning. Legal authority for this collection derives from Title 13 of the U.S. Code, sections 141 and 193, which mandate the decennial census and authorize related data gathering. The test sites—Western Texas, Tribal Lands in Arizona, Colorado Springs in Colorado, Western North Carolina, Spartanburg in South Carolina, and Huntsville in Alabama—were selected for their demographic diversity and alignment with enhancement goals, such as improving self-response options and infrastructure for group quarters counting.
This advance contact operation replaces more burdensome methods from prior censuses. In the 2020 Census, similar contacts occurred via phone or in-person visits, but the 2026 test refines this by using electronic systems for data capture, aiming to minimize errors and improve efficiency.
Key Components of the Operation
The Group Quarters Advance Contact will target 600 facilities, with an estimated burden of 150 hours total, or about 15 minutes per response. Respondents, primarily group quarters administrators, are obligated to participate under federal law. The operation involves two main approaches: in-office phone contacts and in-field visits for unresolved cases.
During in-office contacts, Census Bureau clerks will call administrators using available phone numbers or those researched online. They will verify details like the facility type, address, contact person's name, phone, and email. Administrators will also provide the expected population on Census Day, April 1, 2026, and select a preferred enumeration method, potentially scheduling appointments.
For cases not resolved by phone, field staff will conduct in-person interviews using electronic devices to collect the same information. This marks an improvement over the 2020 Census, where paper questionnaires were used for in-field work. The operation employs the GQ Contact Frame Maintenance system, which stores facility data to facilitate updates.
Notably, plans for a web-based self-response option for administrators were descoped since the initial 60-day public comment period, as detailed in the Federal Register notice. This change reduced the average response time from 30 to 15 minutes and adjusted the burden estimate downward, even as the number of respondents increased to 600.
Legal and Procedural Context
The submission aligns with the Paperwork Reduction Act, which requires federal agencies to minimize public reporting burdens while ensuring data utility. The Bureau invited public comments during a 60-day period starting November 4, 2024, and now opens a 30-day window for additional input via RegInfo.gov.
This process echoes precedents in census preparations, such as the 2015 National Content Test and 2018 End-to-End Census Test, which tested innovations in group quarters enumeration. Perspectives on such collections vary: proponents emphasize the need for accurate population data to inform resource allocation and representation, while critics, including some privacy advocates, raise concerns about mandatory participation and data security. The Bureau addresses these by limiting collection to essential items and using secure systems.
Political forces also play a role, with congressional oversight of census funding influencing test scopes. For instance, debates over undercounts in hard-to-reach populations, including group quarters, have led to judicial reviews like the 2020 Census apportionment challenges in cases such as Department of Commerce v. New York (2019), underscoring the stakes in methodological improvements.
Implications and Perspectives
Short-term implications include enhanced preparation for the full 2026 Census Test's group quarters enumeration, potentially leading to higher response rates and data quality in the selected sites. Long-term, successful refinements could reduce costs and errors in the 2030 Census, benefiting federal programs reliant on census data, such as redistricting and funding distributions.
Different viewpoints exist on the operation's design. Census advocates argue that focusing on group quarters addresses historical undercounts, particularly in marginalized communities like tribal lands or correctional facilities. Conversely, some facility administrators may view the mandatory nature as an administrative burden, though the shortened response time mitigates this. Broader debates center on technological integration, with supporters praising electronic data capture for efficiency, while skeptics question accessibility in rural or low-tech environments.
The descoping of web-based options reflects practical trade-offs, prioritizing core phone and in-person methods to ensure reliability. This decision may inform future iterations, balancing innovation with feasibility.
In summary, the Group Quarters Advance Contact represents a targeted effort to bolster census accuracy for non-household populations. Potential next steps include OMB approval, followed by implementation in early 2026. Ongoing challenges involve adapting to diverse facility types and ensuring equitable coverage, while debates may continue on privacy and methodological equity in census planning.