On August 12, 2021, data users will be able to access 2020 Census redistricting data by downloading the complete set of files for each state, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico, from the Census Bureau’s File Transfer Protocol site (FTP site). Data will be available for the full range of geographies provided in the redistricting dataset, including down to the census block level. Supporting resources for working with the August release of these data can be found at the Decennial Census P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data Summary Files webpage, including a step-by-step “how-to” guide.

Along with this release, or soon after, users will be able to visualize the redistricting data for all states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, using the 2020 Census Demographic Data Map Viewer. This viewer will display geographies down to the individual census tract. To learn how to access and use these data, visit Census Academy or visit the redistricting home page at www.census.gov/rdo.

By September 30, 2021, data users will be able to access and download 2020 Census redistricting data directly from data.census.gov. This tool provides data tables without the additional work required with the August release. The data.census.gov tool will include data for all states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, all the way down to the census block level. To learn how to access and use these data, visit Census Academy or visit the redistricting home page at www.census.gov/rdo.

Official state recipients will also receive the data in an easier-to-use toolkit of DVDs/Flash drives with an integrated browsing software.

The U.S. Census Bureau will release redistricting data for all states on August 12, 2021. At that time, we will provide these data in the summary file format they have been historically released. It will be accessible on our public FTP site.

By September 30, 2021, we will provide the states and the public with the same data in easier-to-use formats. Data for all states will be released at the same time. It will not be released in waves as was done in previous decades.

The COVID-19 pandemic and prioritizing the delivery of apportionment data delayed when we could provide the redistricting data.

On August 12, 2021, we will provide the redistricting data in the summary file format, one of the formats that state officials have received the last two decades. By September 30, 2021, we will provide the same data in an easier-to-use toolkit. The toolkit will include DVDs and flash drives with an integrated browsing software for official state recipients. Data will also be made available for the public on data.census.gov.

The redistricting data will be the first 2020 Census data released using differential privacy. Using this cutting-edge method protects individuals’ information while letting us share important statistics about communities.

The Census Bureau’s responsibility is to provide population counts for the geographic areas the states need to accomplish their redistricting. States are responsible for legislative redistricting.

The August data release will provide the first look at the demographic characteristics of the nation by state, county, city, all the way down to the census block level, including:

• Race and ethnicity.
• Population 18 years and over.
• Occupied and vacant housing units.
• People living in group quarters like nursing homes, prisons, military barracks and college dorms.

The data included in the August and September deliveries will be identical. States can use either the August delivery or the September delivery as appropriate, taking their own statutes and constitutional requirements into account. The Census Bureau considers both releases to be official and fit for use.

The census counts the population only once each decade, and there is no mechanism for a recount.

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