The U.S. Census Bureau announced on March 23 that it has chosen Huntsville, Alabama, and Spartanburg, South Carolina, as the sites for its upcoming 2026 Census Test. The selection aims to explore new ways of working with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to improve data collection methods ahead of the next national census in 2030.
The test is significant because it will help the Census Bureau assess whether involving postal workers can increase response rates and streamline field operations. This could lead to more efficient counting processes in future censuses.
Starting May 1, about 154,600 households across both locations will be invited to complete census forms online using computers or mobile devices. Responses by phone or mail will not be accepted during this test period. The questions asked will mirror those from the American Community Survey and cover topics such as name, race, sex, citizenship status, and education level. For households that do not respond independently by June 1 through August 31—when data collection ends—census takers or postal workers may visit in person to gather responses.
A key component of this test is a collaboration between the Census Bureau and USPS designed to evaluate how postal workers might assist with collecting census responses from non-responding households nationwide in the future. In Huntsville, selected postal employees will work as temporary Census Bureau staff outside their regular hours; in Spartanburg, they will perform census duties during their usual mail delivery routes while remaining USPS employees.
All participating postal workers must pass background checks and receive special training on confidentiality requirements under federal law. About 25 postal workers—and an equal number of traditional census takers—will participate at each site.
By leveraging local knowledge through USPS staff and refining enumeration processes such as staffing and training protocols, officials hope to reduce follow-up visits required for non-responding homes—a move expected to lower costs for future counts. Insights gained from this pilot are intended to shape innovations planned for the official count in 2030.
