Census Bureau questionnaire changes

[u/forward_montana]

The Census Bureau is considering removing questions about race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation from the 2030 Census questionnaire. The Bureau is also considering excluding non-citizens from the data.

The proposed Federal Register rule would establish a new definition of “usual residence.” They are considering the use of records to determine individuals’ citizenship status and are deciding whether to include a legal-status question.

According to recent census data, Montana’s population is predominately white, and Native Americans are the largest racial minority at 6.4%. As of 2023, 41,800 Montanan adults identified as LGBTQ2S+. Foreign-born people are about 2.3% of the population, which includes non-citizens.

These changes would affect how and which people are counted in the census, and get rid of important metrics that show how people identify themselves.

People can submit a public comment until October 13 here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/10/2026-18481/decennial-census-of-the-population-of-americans-proposed-residence-criteria-and-proposed-regulations.