U.S. Census Bureau to Release First Look at Nation's Demographic Characteristics from 2020 Census

"The U.S. Census Bureau by August 16 is set to release in-depth demographic statistics from the 2020 Census that will be used to redraw legislative voting districts. 

These follow the April 26 release of the first results from the 2020 Census, which showed that the total population was 331.4 million. The first release determined each state’s share of the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Aside from showing how the ethnic, racial, and voting age makeup of neighborhoods has changed since the 2010 Census, these detailed data will be used by most state legislatures to redistrict or redraw their political districts for elections.

The August data release will provide the first look at the demographic characteristics of the nation by state, county and city (down to the census block level), including:

• Race and ethnicity.
• Voting-age population.
• Occupied and vacant housing units.
• People living in group quarters like nursing homes, prisons, military barracks and college dorms.

Aside from showing how the ethnic, racial, and voting age makeup of neighborhoods has changed since the 2010 Census, these detailed data will be used by most state legislatures to redistrict or redraw their political districts for elections.

“While the primary purpose of these data is for states to redraw their districts, these statistics will also tell us how many people live in each county, in each city and in each block,” said James Whitehorne, chief of the Census Bureau’s Redistricting and Voting Rights Data Office. “This information will provide a detailed demographic portrait of our nation’s population for communities all across the United States.”

The August release will be in a “legacy” format that governments used in the 2010 and 2000 Censuses. States will use these files to begin their redistricting efforts. By September 30, the Census Bureau will make the same data available online in a more user-friendly format on data.census.gov.

In a new video, James Whitehorne and Nicholas Jones, the Census Bureau’s race/ethnicity Research and Outreach director, discuss what to expect in the upcoming data release...."
2020 Census 

Apportionment and Redistricting Process for the U.S. House of Representatives

"The census, apportionment, and redistricting are interrelated activities that affect representation in the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressional apportionment (or reapportionment) is the process of dividing seats for the House among the 50 states following the decennial census. Redistricting refers to the process that follows, in which states create new congressional districts or redraw existing district boundaries to adjust for population changes and/or changes in the number of House seats for the state. At times, Congress has passed or considered legislation addressing apportionment and redistricting processes under its broad authority to make law affecting House elections under Article I, Section 4, of the U.S. Constitution. These processes are all rooted in provisions in Article I, Section 2 (as amen ded by Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment).

Seats for the House of Representatives are constitutionally required to be divided among the states, based on the population size of each state. To determine how many Representatives each state is entitled to, the Constitution requires the national population to be counted every 10 years, which is done through the census. The Constitution also limits the number of Representatives to no more than one for every 30,000 persons, provided that each state receives at least one Representative. Additional parameters for the census and for apportionment have been established through federal statutes, including timelines for these processes; the number of seats in the House; and the method by which House seats are divided among states. Congress began creating more permanent legislation by the early 20th century to provide recurring procedures for the census and apportionment, rather than passing measures each decade to address an upcoming reapportionment cycle. Federal law related to the census process is found in Title 13 of the U.S. Code, and two key statutes affecting apportionment today are the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929 and the Apportionment Act of 1941..."
Apportionment and redistricting 

Apportionment and Redistricting Following the 2020 Census

"Updated April 27, 2021

The census, apportionment, and congressional redistricting are interrelated processes that occur every decade. The U.S. Constitution provides that a decennial census determines the distribution of U.S. House seats across states. Dividing House seats across states is known as apportionment (or reapportionment). Each state must receive one House seat and additional seats are distributed proportionally based on state population size. States then engage in redistricting, creating or redrawing geographic subdivisions with relatively equal-sized populations for each House district.

Timelines for the census and apportionment are provided in federal statute and generally occur as scheduled every decade. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, however, affected 2020 census field operations and delivery of apportionment figures, and concerns remain about timing for the redistricting processes that follow. This Insight provides background on the typical timing of the census, apportionment, and redistricting, as well as a brief discussion of recent census operational changes and proposals, particularly those related to congressional apportionment and redistricting.

Typical Timing—Census, Apportionment, and Redistricting
 
Figure 1 illustrates a timeline of the typical census, apportionment, and redistricting processes. Federal statute requires that April 1 of any year ending in “0” marks the official decennial census date. A count known as the apportionment population, which reflects the total resident population in each state, is typically used to distribute House seats. Within nine months of the decennial census date (December 31 of the year ending in “0”), the Secretary of Commerce is to report the apportionment population to the President; the Census Bureau has often released apportionment counts publicly at about the same time.

According to this timeline, within the first week of the first regular session of the next Congress, the President transmits a statement to Congress with information on how to apportion House seats. The President’s message contains the apportionment population and resulting number of Representatives for each state, based on the total number of Representatives (435) and using the method of equal proportions.

The Clerk of the House sends each governor a certificate indicating a state’s number of Representatives within 15 calendar days of receiving the President’s apportionment message. Each state receives the number of Representatives noted in the President’s statement, beginning at the start of the next session of Congress (typically, early January of a year ending in “3”). States may then engage in their own redistricting processes before the start of that Congress, and the timing of redistricting varies based on state laws..."
Apportionment and Redistricting 

Congressional Redistricting and the Voting Rights Act: A Legal Overview

"The Constitution requires a count of the U.S. population every 10 years. Based on the census, the number of seats in the House of Representatives is reapportioned among the states. Thus, at least every 10 years, in response to changes in the number of Representatives apportioned to it or to shifts in its population, each state is required to draw new boundaries for its congressional districts. Although each state has its own process for redistricting, congressional districts must conform to a number of constitutional and federal statutory standards, including the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965, as amended..."
https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42482.pdf

Redistricting in Wisconsin - Redrawing the Line
A discussion of redistricting in Wisconsin from the Spring 2011 #18 issue of Population Notes, UW-Madison, Applied Population Laboratory, Dept. of Community and Environmental Sociology.

2010 Census Redistricting Data
"Redistricting Data

The Census Bureau will deliver state data on a rolling basis through March. Click "SELECT ANOTHER STATE" on the map tool below to see which states are currently available."

Strength in Numbers: Your Guide to Census 2010 Redistricting Data from the U.S. Census Bureau
"Once every 10 years, Americans stand up to be counted. Downtown and out-of-town, in the mountains and on the farms, we speak up and let our governments know that we intend to be represented in the

decisions that they make.

The census gives us an opportunity to be part of the democratic process. Census numbers ensure that our representative districts—for the U.S. Congress and for state legislatures, and in our city and town governments—reflect our numbers, north or south, east or west.

This brochure explains where census numbers come from and the role those numbers have in the way states and localities redraw the boundaries of their legislative districts. The information here looks in particular at the maps and numbers that state governments and others get from the Census Bureau and use in redistricting. .."

Strength in Numbers: Your Guide to 2010 Census Redistricting Data from the U.S. Census Bureau
"Once every 10 years, Americans stand up to be counted. Downtown and out-of-town, in the mountains and on the farms, we speak up and let our governments know that we intend to be represented in the decisions that they make.

The census gives us an opportunity to be part of the democratic process. Census numbers ensure that our representative districts—for the U.S. Congress and for state legislatures, and in our city and town governments—reflect our numbers, north or south, east or west.

This brochure explains where census numbers come from and the role those numbers have in the way states and localities redraw the boundaries of their legislative districts. The information here looks in particular at the maps and numbers that state governments and others get from the Census Bureau and use in redistricting..."