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The 2020 Census Questions Every U.S Household Will Be Asked, Annotated

Updated Feb. 28, 2020 at 8:03 p.m. ET

The U.S. Census Bureau has released the questions for the upcoming 2020 count.

Notable changes to the 2020 census form include new write-in areas for white and black origins for the race question and new response categories that allow couples living together to define their relationship as "same-sex" or "opposite-sex."

The forms will not include the proposed citizenship question that the Trump administration tried and failed to add. Federal courts have permanently banned the question from appearing on the 2020 census forms.

We've annotated the major changes to the questions and some of the noteworthy features of the census below, explaining the reason behind — and some pushback against — questions on Hispanic/Latino origin, white and black origins, Asian and Pacific Islander groups, as well as same-sex and different-sex relationships.

Hispanic/Latino origin:

Read more here.

White and black origins:

Read more here and here.

Asian and Pacific Islander groups:

"Opposite-sex" and "same-sex" couples:

Read more here.

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Hansi Lo Wang (he/him) is a national correspondent for NPR reporting on the people, power and money behind the U.S. census.
Andrea de Leon
Andrea de Leon is NPR's Northeast Bureau Chief and edits the network's coverage of addiction and treatment. In her long career at NPR, de Leon has shaped coverage of Donald Trump's business and legal affairs in New York, superstorm Sandy, hurricane Katrina, and 9/11. As the editor for addiction and treatment, she has focused on the rise of the opioid epidemic, settlements with the nation's opioid manufacturers and suppliers, the patchwork of treatment for addiction in the United States, and the changing supply of illegal drugs. She is the winner of numerous awards, including the Leo C. Lee Award for her contribution to public radio journalism. She is a past member of the board of PRNDI (now the Public Media Journalists Association) and The Salt Institute for Documentary Studies.
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