Memo to Members

Latinos and Immigrants in the 2020 Census

Mar 30, 2020

Accurate, detailed census data on Hispanic origin and race are necessary to enforce a broad array of civil rights protections, reveal disparate impacts of laws and policies, and ensure that programs meet the needs of diverse communities. These data guide a wide range of decisions made in the public and private sectors that affect the lives of Latinos and all American families and their children. The data help ensure fair and representative reapportionment and redistricting for Latino communities.

Latinos have been undercounted in the census for decades, disadvantaging their families, communities, and neighborhoods. Latino children in particular are among the most undercounted populations in the U.S. There are 56.5 million Hispanics living in the U.S., and roughly one in three lives in hard-to-count census tracts. There are many characteristics that make the Latino community hard to count, including language, poverty, education, and immigrant status. Therefore, special attention is needed to reach Latino households and to make sure they complete a 2020 Census questionnaire. See a factsheet “Will You Count? Latinos in the 2020 Census.”

Since 1980, the census has asked about Hispanic identity separately from racial identity. Recent Census Bureau testing indicates that combining the Hispanic ethnicity with the general race question would more accurately reflect the Latino population. The Census Bureau proposed changing questions about Hispanic origin and race into one combined question in 2017. The Trump administration’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) did not, however, accept the Census Bureau’s recommendations. Consequently, the 2020 Census will not meet the need for a combined race and ethnicity question.

The 2020 Census will ask a question about Hispanic origin and a separate question about race and national origin. All respondents will be able to check off or write in their national origin, ethnicity, or principal or enrolled tribe. Factsheets from several sources discussing the census question about Hispanic origin and race are at:

The U.S. Census Bureau urges non-citizens to respond to the census. Everyone living in the U.S. and its five territories (Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) is required by law to be counted in the census – whether they are citizens or not. Citizens of foreign countries who are living in the U.S. during the 2020 Census (who are not here on vacation or business) should be counted at the U.S. residence where they live and sleep most of time. If they are unsure about how to answer where they usually live, they are to be counted at the place where they are staying on April 1, 2020. The Census Bureau also has a factsheet, “Information for Immigrant/Foreign-Born Audiences.”

Responses to the 2020 Census are safe, secure, and pro­tected by federal law. Answers can only be used to produce statistics – they cannot be used against people in any way. By law, all responses to U.S. Census Bureau household and business surveys are kept completely confidential. The Census Bureau is not allowed to share your personal information with anyone, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), police, or any other government agencies. The Census Bureau can use responses only to create general information about the population, such as how many people live in a city, and statistics about age, gender, and race. The Census Bureau cannot share information about people as an individuals, and strong laws protect the confidentiality of census responses. Factsheets from several sources about the privacy of peoples’ responses to the census are at:

A variety of fact sheets are available from several sources:

Sources of information:

Related Content