Census Bureau to test postal workers as census takers for 2030 field trials

The Census Bureau plans to test using U.S. postal workers as census takers in at least two locations next year during field trials for the 2030 census, the decennial count that determines political power and federal funding. In a Federal Register notice to be published next week, the agency said it will test and assess the feasibility of using postal carriers to knock on doors and collect information about households. The locations for the trials include western Texas; tribal lands in Arizona; Colorado Springs, Colorado; western North Carolina; Spartanburg, South Carolina; and Huntsville, Alabama.

The unpublished notice did not specify which locations would test postal workers as census takers who interview people about race, sex, age, type of housing and relationships within households. The idea of using postal workers for census duties has circulated for years, given that postal carriers often know the neighborhoods they deliver to and could potentially help gather information more efficiently.

Historically, the concept has faced cost concerns. In 2011, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said paying postal carriers to perform census duties would be impractical because urban mail carriers earned far more per hour than temporary census takers, making the arrangement cost-inefficient and disruptive to mail service. The U.S. Postal Service has nonetheless supported census operations in other ways, including delivering notices about the census and the questionnaire to households and helping update the bureau's address list.

The Census Bureau says the tests will help it learn how to better tally populations that were undercounted in the 2020 census, improve methods for 2030, test messaging, and assess its ability to process data as it is collected. Officials anticipate almost 445,000 people will participate in the practice counts, either online, by phone, by mail, or by being interviewed by a census taker. The initiative is part of a broader effort to refine data collection and processing through technology-enabled approaches in the lead-up to the 2030 census, which will shape political representation and federal funding for years to come.

The Census Bureau has underscored that the tests are exploratory and aimed at understanding feasibility, cost, and effectiveness rather than immediate deployment. The results could influence future strategies for field operations and real-time data handling in large-scale demographic surveys, as the agency continues to adapt to evolving technology and communication channels.