Today, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross issued the following statement upon the release of the preliminary results of the 2019 Census Test:

The U.S. Census Bureau conducted the 2019 Census Test this summer to study the operational effects on self-response of including a citizenship question on the 2020 Census questionnaire. The major finding of the test was that there was no difference in self-response rates between forms with and forms without a citizenship question, with only small differences for some areas and subgroups.

While there is no question on the 2020 Census related to citizenship, this is gratifying news to those who supported its inclusion. Per the President’s EO, we will produce this data through the use of administrative records.

Now, we must continue to keep our focus on implementing the 2020 Census. Due the strong economy, a significant challenge is hiring for the temporary workforce jobs. I encourage everyone to apply at 2020Census.gov/jobs, and to share this link with their families and communities.