2010 Census

WHY IT’S BEING REMOVED

We removed the 2010 Census from our High-Risk list because the U.S. Census Bureau (Bureau) generally completed its peak census data collection activities consistent with its operational plans; released the state population counts used to apportion Congress on December 21, 2010, several days ahead of the legally mandated end-of-year deadline; and remaining activities appear to be on track.

The decennial census is a constitutionally mandated enterprise whose data products are critical to our nation. In March 2008, we designated the 2010 Census a high-risk area because of:

• long-standing weaknesses in the Bureau’s information technology (IT) acquisition and contract management function,
• problems with the performance of handheld computers used to collect data, and
• uncertainty over the ultimate cost of the census, which all jeopardized a cost-effective enumeration.

To address these issues and help secure a successful census, the Bureau demonstrated strong commitment and top leadership support to mitigate the risks, including bringing in experienced personnel to key positions and taking steps to implement our recommendations to strengthen its IT and other management and planning functions. At the same time, active congressional oversight—including a dozen congressional hearings held after we added the census to our high-risk list--helped ensure the Bureau effectively designed and managed operations and kept the enumeration on schedule.

Although every census has its decade-specific difficulties, societal trends such as concerns over personal privacy, more non-English speakers, and more people residing in makeshift and other non-traditional living arrangements make each decennial inherently challenging. Thus, going forward, it will be vitally important to

• identify lessons learned from the current decennial census to improve existing census-taking activities;
• reexamine and perhaps fundamentally transform the way the Bureau plans, tests, implements, monitors, and evaluates future enumerations in order to address long-standing challenges; and
• ensure the Bureau’s reform efforts stay on-track through continued congressional oversight.

^ Back to topKey Reports

2010 Census

2010 Census

Information Technology

2010 Census

More Reports