June 8, 2021
The Census Bureau Director
Introduction
the Director by law, regulations, or orders of the Secretary.”
On April 13, 2021, the White House announced President
The director, in turn, may delegate some duties to others
Biden’s intention to nominate Robert Santos, a statistician
who are more immediately involved in, and more
and survey methodologist who is currently president of the
knowledgeable about, the bureau’s detailed, day-to-day
American Statistical Association, to be the new Director of
operations.
the Census (informally known as the Census Bureau
director). If the Senate confirms his nomination, which it
Director’s Responsibilities
received on April 15 and referred that day to the Committee
The broad responsibilities delegated to the director,
on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Mr.
concerning data collection, processing, quality control,
Santos will be the first bureau director of Hispanic
confidentiality protection, and dissemination, are
ethnicity.
summarized below.
The decennial census is mandated by Article I, Section 2,
Decennial Census
clause 3, of the U.S. Constitution, as modified by Section 2
The decennial census of population and housing, under
of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Census Bureau’s
Title 13, Section 141, is the largest and probably most
history website notes that although the census has been
visible of the director’s responsibilities. The census is a
conducted since 1790, a permanent Census Office was not
count, as nearly complete and accurate as possible, of every
established until 1902. Initially in the Department of the
person whose usual residence is in the United States. The
Interior, the office moved to the new Department of
constitutional reason for taking the census is to have an
Commerce and Labor in 1903. In 1913, when Commerce
updated basis for apportioning seats in the U.S. House of
and Labor became separate departments, the Census Office
Representatives. Census data also are used to redraw
remained in Commerce.
legislative boundaries within states; to produce population
estimates and projections; in formulas that help allocate
Census law is codified in Title 13 of the U.S. Code. Title
federal funds, estimated by nongovernmental research at
13, Section 21(a)(1), provides that the Census Bureau “shal
more than $1.5 trillion annually, to states and localities; and
be headed by a Director of the Census, appointed by the
by subnational governments, businesses, nonprofit
President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate,
organizations, and researchers for various other purposes.
without regard to political affiliation.” Section 21(a)(2)
stipulates that “Such appointment shall be made from
American Community Survey
individuals who have a demonstrated ability in managing
Closely related is the American Community Survey (ACS),
large organizations and experience in the collection,
which the bureau implemented nationwide in 2005 and
analysis, and use of statistical data.” Section 21(b)(1) sets
2006. The ACS replaced the decennial census long form
the director’s term of office at five years, beginning on
that, from 1940 to 2000, collected detailed socioeconomic
January 1, 2012, “and every fifth year thereafter” and
and housing data from a sample of U.S. residents as the
specifies that “an individual may not serve more than 2 full
census was administered. The ACS is sent monthly to small
terms as Director.” Under Section 21(b)(2), “any individual
population samples. It covers more than 3.5 million
appointed to fill a vacancy in such position, occurring
households a year in every U.S. county and the District of
before the expiration of the term for which such
Columbia.
individual’s predecessor was appointed, shall be appointed
for the remainder of that term. The Director may serve after
Quinquennial Censuses
the end of the Director’s term until reappointed or until a
The quinquennial economic census and census of
successor has been appointed, but in no event longer than 1
governments also are under director’s purview.
year after the end of such term.” Section 21(b)(3) permits
the President to remove a director and requires the
The economic census originated when, according to the
President to communicate “in writing the reasons for any
Census Bureau, “Congress responded to a rapid increase in
such removal to both Houses of Congress not later than 60
industrial activity” by instructing 1810 census enumerators
days before the removal.”
to take “an account of the several manufacturing
establishments and manufactures” they were to visit. The
Because the Census Bureau is a Commerce Department
contemporary economic census is authorized under Title
agency, the Secretary of Commerce has official
13, Section 131. The bureau calls this census “the
responsibility for its functions. In practice, however, the
foundation” for measuring “U.S. businesses and their
Secretary delegates much of this responsibility to the
economic impact.” The census reaches “nearly 4 million
bureau director. According to Title 13, Section 21(c), “The
businesses, large, medium, and small, covering most
Director shall perform such duties as may be imposed upon
industries and all geographic areas of the United States.”
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The Census Bureau Director
The Census Bureau characterizes the census of
various matters of concern to them, and before the
governments, conducted since 1957, as providing “the most
Committees on Appropriations’ Commerce, Justice,
comprehensive and precise measure of government
Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittees about the
economic activity. It identifies the scope and nature of the
Census Bureau’s budget and associated matters.
nation’s public sector” and presents “benchmark figures”
on “public finance, pensions, and employment.” It classifies
2020 Census Challenges
“local government organizations, powers, and activities,”
Being in charge of the 2020 census arguably would have
and “measures federal, state, and local fiscal relationships.”
been a great responsibility for any bureau director under
normal conditions. The bureau had to cover a large
Under Title 13, Section 161, this census is to include, but
population that tends to be mobile, is distributed over a
not be limited to, “data on taxes and tax valuations,
wide geographic area, may not in all cases want to be
governmental receipts, expenditures, indebtedness, and
enumerated, and, in the words of one former director, has
employees of States, counties, cities, and other
more “diversity and complexity” than it had historically.
governmental units.”
The need to avoid census miscounts, such as overcounts of
people with more than one residence and undercounts of
Population Estimates and Projections
racial and ethnic minorities, has proven challenging in the
Title 13, Section 181, authorizes the bureau’s population
past and has subjected the bureau to intense congressional
estimates program, which provides “interim current data” in
and public scrutiny.
the years between decennial censuses. “To the extent
feasible,” the program is to produce and publish annually,
The Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic
“for each State, county, and local unit of general purpose
added to the director’s and other census officials’
government which has a population of fifty thousand or
challenges. Census field operations that were underway or
more, current data on total population and population
imminent had to be postponed or suspended, then resumed
characteristics”; and biennially, “for other local units of
and rescheduled. (See CRS In Focus IF11486, 2020 Census
general purpose government,” “current data on total
Fieldwork Delayed by COVID-19, by Jennifer D.
population.” The bureau also produces projections of
Williams.) The effects of these disruptions on 2020 census
population into the future that are based on the most recent
completeness and quality still are being determined. The
census.
numbers for House apportionment, which, under Title 13,
Section 141(b), were due no later than December 31, 2020,
Surveys Beyond the ACS
were released four months later, on April 26, 2021. They
According to the Census Bureau, it conducts more than 130
showed an apportionment population of 331.1 million. This
surveys of households and businesses every year. The
population included residents of the 50 states as well as
bureau identifies the ACS as the nation’s largest household
members of the U.S. military and federal civilian
survey. Some surveys are a shared responsibility between
employees stationed abroad, plus their dependents living
the bureau and other agencies. One notable example is the
with them. The resident population of the 50 states and DC
Current Population Survey (CPS), which the bureau calls
was reported as 331.4 million. As required by Title 13,
“the primary source of monthly labor force statistics,”
Section 141(c), the tabulations of census data for use in
including unemployment rates. Supplementary questions
redrawing state congressional and legislative districts had to
added to the basic CPS “vary month to month and cover a
be, but were not, delivered by March 31, 2021, to the states
wide variety of topics such as child support, volunteerism,
that had requested them. The bureau announced on April 26
health insurance coverage, and school enrollment.” The
that the states will not receive these data until August 16.
Census Bureau conducts the CPS for the Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS), and BLS provides about two-thirds of the
Addressing the 2020 cens us issues that remain may be
survey’s funding.
among the new director’s immediate responsibilities.
Congressional Testimony
Jennifer D. Williams, Specialist in American National
In addition, the director testifies before the bureau’s
Government
congressional oversight committees, the House Committee
on Oversight and Reform and its Subcommittee on Civil
IF11845
Rights and Civil Liberties, and the Senate Committee on
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs , about
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The Census Bureau Director
Disclaimer
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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF11845 · VERSION 1 · NEW