Prepping for Today's Big 2020 Census Release

Setting the table as the nation awaits the first results from the 2020 Census.

1 minute read

April 26, 2021, 12:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


2020 Census Logo

U.S. Government / Wikimedia Commons

The U.S. Census Bureau is expected to announce the first set of results from the 2020 Census today, with consequences for the makeup of Congress. While waiting for the announcement, delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic but long troubled by reported neglect by the Trump administration and controversies like the citizenship question decided by the Supreme Court in 2019, media outlets have been busy setting the context for today's announcement, with the expectation that this year's count could shift demographic trends away from the nation's most populous states to the nation's fastest growing states.  

Here's a list of suggested reading to prepare for the coming deluge of data, analysis, and hot takes:

Monday, April 26, 2021 in National Public Radio

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 28, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of California High-Speed Rail station with bullet train.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself

The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

May 19, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Nevada State Senate building.

Nevada Legislature Unanimously Passes Regional Rail Bill

If signed by the governor, the bill will create a task force aimed at developing a regional passenger rail system.

5 hours ago - KRNV News 4

Blue sidewalk curb cut painted with white accessibility symbol.

How Infrastructure Shapes Public Trust

A city engineer argues that planners must go beyond code compliance to ensure public infrastructure is truly accessible to all users.

5 hours ago - Governing

Protester at Echo Park Lake, Los Angeles holding sign that says "Housing is a human right"

Photos: In Over a Dozen Cities, Housing Activists Connect HUD Cuts and Local Issues

We share images from six of the cities around the country where members of three national organizing networks took action on May 20 to protest cuts to federal housing funding and lift up local solutions.

7 hours ago - Shelterforce Magazine