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Written by: Donna M. Daily, Division Chief, American Community Survey Office and Karen Battle, Division Chief, Population Division
Earlier this year, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published the results of its review of Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 (SPD 15) and issued updated standards for maintaining, collecting and presenting race and ethnicity data across federal agencies. The updated 2024 SPD 15 requires the use of a combined race and ethnicity question, the addition of a new “Middle Eastern or North African” minimum reporting category, and the collection of detailed race and ethnicity responses.
Since then, programs across the U.S. Census Bureau have been assessing how and when to implement the updated race and ethnicity standards set by OMB in the 2024 SPD 15. We expect race and ethnicity data that align with the revised standards will enhance the entire range of Census Bureau data products that describe the demographic makeup and socioeconomic characteristics of our country and our diverse communities.
We recognize the importance of implementing the updated standards as quickly as possible, while maintaining the high-quality American Community Survey (ACS) data that are relied upon by so many both inside and outside of government. We have given careful consideration regarding the implementation of the updated race and ethnicity standards, including an assessment of cost, risk, and benefit.
Based on these assessments, we decided to implement the finalized 2024 SPD 15 published by OMB on March 28, 2024, in the 2027 ACS data collection cycle. Continue reading...
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