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. This means:

• The first ACS 1-year estimates produced using the updated standards will be the 2027 ACS 1-year data, planned for release in September 2028.
• The first 5-year estimates produced solely using the data collected under the 2024 SPD 15 will be available in the 2027-2031 ACS 5-year data, scheduled for release in December 2032. 
• Until the ACS has 5 years of data collected using the updated standards, the Census Bureau will produce ACS 5-year estimates using a bridging technique, starting with the 2023-2027 ACS 5-year release scheduled for December 2028. Providing data products at low levels of geography following the 2024 SPD 15 will allow data users to gain new insights into the demographic makeup and socioeconomic characteristics of our diverse communities.

In making a final decision about the timing, the Census Bureau weighed the need for producing data under the updated standards as quickly as possible against the need for accurate data. The ACS program conducted an assessment of what would be necessary to implement the updated 2024 SPD 15 in the ACS in either the 2026 ACS or the 2027 ACS. This assessment considered multiple factors including the amount of time and resources needed to implement the change accurately and how the implementation of the 2024 SPD 15 could be accomplished alongside work on critical projects to modernize operations at the Census Bureau.

The Census Bureau also considered federal and nonfederal stakeholder feedback in its assessment. The Census Bureau solicited public feedback on the timing of the implementation of the updated 2024 SPD 15 through a Federal Register notice published on July 12, 2024. The ACS program and OMB also solicited comments about the timing of implementation from federal agencies that use ACS data. We appreciate those who responded with their thoughtful comments. 

Related to this effort, the Census Bureau is participating in OMB’s Federal Committee on SPD 15, which will provide statistical tools such as bridging programs to crosswalk data collected under the 1997 SPD 15 and the revised 2024 SPD 15, and best practices for coding detailed racial and ethnic groups and write-in responses.

As we continue the work of implementing the updated standards in the ACS, we will keep the public, stakeholders, and data users informed. We look forward to implementing the updated race/ethnicity standards to improve and produce race/ethnicity statistics for our country.

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