Updated February 11, 2022
The Census Bureau Director
Introduction
The director, in turn, may delegate some duties to others
On April 13, 2021, the White House announced President
who are more immediately involved in, and more
Biden’s intention to nominate Robert Santos, a statistician
knowledgeable about, the bureau’s detailed, day-to-day
and survey methodologist who at the time was president of
operations.
the American Statistical Association, to be the new Director
of the Census (informally known as the Census Bureau
Director’s Responsibilities
director). The Senate confirmed his nomination on
The broad responsibilities delegated to the director,
November 4, 2021, for a five-year term. Mr. Santos was
concerning data collection, processing, quality control,
sworn in on January 5, 2022, and is the first bureau director
confidentiality protection, and dissemination, are
of Latino 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 “shall
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 many 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, and the results are aggregated to
appointed to fill a vacancy in such position, occurring
produce larger, generalizable samples. The survey covers
before the expiration of the term for which such
more than 3.5 million households a year in every U.S.
individual’s predecessor was appointed, shall be appointed
county and the District of Columbia.
for the remainder of that term. The Director may serve after
the end of the Director’s term until reappointed or until a
Quinquennial Censuses
successor has been appointed, but in no event longer than 1
The quinquennial economic census and census of
year after the end of such term.” Section 21(b)(3) permits
governments also are under the director’s purview.
the President to remove a director and requires the
President to communicate “in writing the reasons for any
The economic census originated when, according to the
such removal to both Houses of Congress not later than 60
Census Bureau, “Congress responded to a rapid increase in
days before the removal.”
industrial activity” by instructing 1810 census enumerators
to take “an account of the several manufacturing
Because the Census Bureau is a Commerce Department
establishments and manufactures” they were to visit. The
agency, the Secretary of Commerce has official
contemporary economic census is authorized under Title
responsibility for its functions. In practice, however, the
13, Section 131. The bureau calls this census “the
Secretary delegates much of this responsibility to the
foundation” for measuring “U.S. businesses and their
bureau director. According to Title 13, Section 21(c), “The
economic impact.” The census reaches “nearly 4 million
Director shall perform such duties as may be imposed upon
businesses, large, medium, and small, covering most
the Director by law, regulations, or orders of the Secretary.”
industries and all geographic areas of the United States.”
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The Census Bureau Director
The Census Bureau characterizes the census of
Committees on Appropriations’ Commerce, Justice,
governments, conducted since 1957, as providing “the most
Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittees about the
comprehensive and precise measure of government
Census Bureau’s budget and associated matters.
economic activity. It identifies the scope and nature of the
nation’s public sector” and presents “benchmark figures”
2020 Census Challenges
on “public finance, pensions, and employment.” It classifies
Being in charge of the 2020 census arguably would have
“local government organizations, powers, and activities,”
been a great responsibility for any bureau director under
and “measures federal, state, and local fiscal relationships.”
normal conditions. The bureau had to cover a large
population that tended to be mobile, was distributed over a
Under Title 13, Section 161, this census is to include, but
wide geographic area, might not in all cases have wanted to
not be limited to, “data on taxes and tax valuations,
be enumerated, and, in the words of one former director,
governmental receipts, expenditures, indebtedness, and
had more “diversity and complexity” than it had
employees of States, counties, cities, and other
historically. The need to avoid census miscounts, such as
governmental units.”
overcounts of people with more than one residence and
undercounts of racial and ethnic groups relative to non-
Population Estimates and Projections
Latino/a Whites, has proven challenging in the past,
Title 13, Section 181, authorizes the bureau’s population
continues to be so, and subjects the bureau to ongoing
estimates program, which provides “interim current data” in
congressional 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
characteristics”; and biennially, “for other local units of
rescheduled and resumed. (See CRS In Focus IF11486,
general purpose government,” “current data on total
2020 Census Fieldwork Delayed by COVID-19, by Jennifer
population.” The bureau also produces projections of
D. Williams.) The effects of these disruptions on 2020
population into the future that are based on the most recent
census completeness and quality still are being determined.
census.
The numbers for House apportionment, which, under Title
13, Section 141(b), were due no later than December 31,
Surveys Beyond the ACS
2020, were released four months later, on April 26, 2021.
According to the Census Bureau, it conducts more than 130
They showed an apportionment population of 331.1
surveys of households and businesses every year. The
million. This population included residents of the 50 states
bureau identifies the ACS as the nation’s largest household
as well as 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 2020 census redistricting files
health insurance coverage, and school enrollment.” The
in a “legacy format” were released on August 12, 2021, and
Census Bureau conducts the CPS for the Bureau of Labor
the same data were released in a somewhat more usable
Statistics (BLS), and BLS provides about two-thirds of the
format on September 16, 2021.
survey’s funding.
Addressing the 2020 census issues that remain could be
Congressional Testimony
among the new director’s immediate responsibilities.
In addition, the director testifies before the bureau’s
congressional oversight committees, the House Committee
Jennifer D. Williams, Specialist in American National
on Oversight and Reform and its Subcommittee on Civil
Government
Rights and Civil Liberties, and the Senate Committee on
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, about
IF11845
various matters of concern to them, and before the


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The Census Bureau Director


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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF11845 · VERSION 2 · UPDATED

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