2026 Census Test Updates
U.S. Census Bureau to Conduct Pilot With U.S. Postal Service for 2026 Operational Test
MARCH 23, 2026 — The U.S. Census Bureau last month announced it has modified its 2026 Census Test sites to Huntsville, Alabama, and Spartanburg, South Carolina. These sites were selected to give the Census Bureau the opportunity to explore how working with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) could increase effectiveness and how to improve in-field enumeration processes for the 2030 Census.
Starting on May 1, the Census Bureau will invite approximately 154,600 households in Spartanburg and Huntsville to respond to the test online in English only via computer, smartphone and tablet. Phone and mail responses will not be offered.
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2026 Census Test: Household Invitations
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Location
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Approximate Number of Housing Units
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Huntsville, Alabama
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81,000
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Spartanburg, South Carolina
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73,600
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Total
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154,600
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The test will include the same questions asked in the American Community Survey (ACS), which collects detailed demographic, social, economic, and housing data. Questions are expected to take around 40 minutes to complete and include name, race, sex, citizenship and education.
A smaller subset of questions will be asked for households who do not respond on their own. Using the ACS allows the Census Bureau to leverage existing questions that the Census Bureau already asks.
Starting on June 1 and through August 31 when data collection ends, census takers, including postal workers, may visit households that do not respond on their own to collect responses in person. Responses to Census Bureau surveys are safe, secure, and protected by federal law. All responses are kept completely confidential and can only be used to produce statistics.
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