The decennial census comes around every 10 years, and we’re halfway to 2030. It’s not too early to start thinking about it.
Census data determines how many seats each state gets in the U.S. House of Representatives, how much federal funding states and localities receive and how redistricting maps are drawn. The better the data, the more accurate these important decisions can be.
Preparing for the Census
See NCSL’s Preparing for the Census: Timeline for State Activity webpage for details and resources on the BBSP, VTDP and other Census Bureau programs. To learn about the bureau’s Local Update of Census Addresses operations, join us on June 13 for the webinar LUCA: Improving Census Data. Here’s How, Starting Now.
Census data isn’t just one big statewide number. It’s broken down into cities, counties, precincts, census blocks and more. These geographic units become the building blocks for state legislative and congressional redistricting. With 50 states, thousands of cities and countless precincts across the country, how can the U.S. Census Bureau—and redistricters—know where all those boundaries are?
By participating in optional Census Bureau programs starting now, states have several opportunities to tell the bureau where their geographic boundaries lie and how they want their data reported for use in redistricting. State legislative leaders and governors have until the end of this month to appoint nonpartisan state liaisons to submit feedback during these programs:
- The Block Boundary Suggestion Project, or BBSP: Starting in 2026, nonpartisan liaisons can identify features such as property lines or rivers that could be used to draw census blocks, in addition to traditional boundaries like streets.
- Local Update of Census Addresses, known as LUCA: States can review and comment on the Census Bureau’s list of addresses before the 2030 census. The bureau’s list of addresses helps determine what households the census will reach. States can begin gathering this information now, and LUCA formally begins in 2027.
- The Voting District Project, or VTDP: In 2028, nonpartisan liaisons can submit and verify their voting districts to the Census Bureau.
The Redistricting Data Program kicks off its 2030 census preparations with the Block Boundary Suggestion Project in 2026. State nonpartisan liaisons and legislative staff who work with them can start gathering geographic data now to ensure this process goes smoothly.
Where to begin? It is crucial that your state submits as many necessary updates as possible—and that the updates are accurate. “Know your state and understand all of the stakeholders and players that are involved,” says Quyen Do, deputy director of the Research Division in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. “Get them together early so they have a unified approach to the census and redistricting.”
These stakeholders include localities. While state liaisons send in BBSP submissions, cities, towns and counties are often the experts on their own geography. They can be crucial partners in collecting local boundary information for the BBSP and VTDP.
Oklahoma has already begun its preparations for the 2030 census. Tricia Hines, GIS coordinator in the Oklahoma House and nonpartisan liaison to the Redistricting Data Program, is developing an online portal localities can use to submit BBSP updates. Hines can then compile this information and transmit it to the Census Bureau. Localities might benefit from an easy way to send updated information to their state liaisons without having to devote extensive time and resources to understanding the intricacies of these Census Bureau programs. “Keep it simple but accessible,” Do says.
Oklahoma provides just one example of how states can prepare today to participate in census preparation programs starting next year. Census data underlies redistricting, influencing the makeup of state legislatures and congressional delegations. As Do puts it, she, Hines and their colleagues are striving to “make sure we have a good strategy coming into 2030. Redistricting and the census go hand in hand ... Any effort we can [make] to help make sure we get a good [census] count is important.”
Helen Brewer is a senior policy specialist in NCSL’s Elections and Redistricting Program.