The Census Bureau announced an indefinite delay in the release of American Community Survey (ACS) data, which poses a severe threat to the ability of the market research, insights and analytics industry to deliver statistically representative and reliable insights.
The Insights Association joined with 106 other groups in a September 3, 2026 Census Project coalition letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Harold Lutnick raising concerns about the delay, and the policy choices driving it, since he oversees the Bureau. Our letter urged “the Department of Commerce to work with the Census Bureau to resolve the issues affecting the scheduled release of the 1-year ACS estimates. Timely release of ACS data is imperative if communities, service providers, policymakers, businesses and others are expected to responsibly assess the public’s needs, allocate taxpayer dollars, and make informed decisions.”
According to an August 4 Bureau press release, the Bureau is still trying to determine a “release date for the 2025 ACS 1-year estimates” while it assesses “the impact of the new departmental administrative order (DAO), Department of Commerce Disclosure Avoidance for Statistical Products, and seeking DAO-compliant solutions to allow the release of the ACS 1-year tables later this year.”
The DAO now prohibits using “noise infusion” methods to protect the privacy of individuals’ data, which have been used for decades by federal statistical agencies. They are defined by the Order as “the category of Disclosure Avoidance methods that involve modifying a dataset by adding random values, or noise, to certain entries.”
With the Bureau being forced to reengineer its practices on the fly, without preparation, debate or public consultation, the delay in releasing ACS data is likely only the first major impact of the DAO.
The Insights Association worries that this will spread to all federal statistical releases, but certainly to the decennial census and ACS data upon which the insights industry relies for statistical benchmarking.
This arises at the same time as IA has raised alarm about a draft regulation that would eliminate the collection of race and ethnicity data in the 2030 Census.
About the Author
Based in Washington, DC, Howard is the Insights Association's lobbyist for the marketing research and data analytics industry, focusing primarily on consumer privacy and data security, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), tort reform, and the funding and integrity of the decennial Census and the American Community Survey (ACS).
Howard has more than two decades of public policy experience. Before the Insights Association, he worked in Congress as senior legislative staffer for then-Representatives Christopher Cox (CA-48) and Cliff Stearns (FL-06). He also served more than four years with a science policy think tank, working to improve the understanding of scientific and social research and methodology among journalists and policymakers.
Howard is also co-director of The Census Project, a 900+ member coalition in support of a fair and accurate Census and ACS.
He has also served previously on the Board of Directors for the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics and and the Association of Government Relations Professionals.
Howard has an MA International Relations from the University of Essex in England and a BA Honors Political Studies from Trent University in Canada, and has obtained the Certified Association Executive (CAE), Professional Lobbying Certificate (PLC) and the Public Policy Certificate (PPC).
When not running advocacy for the Insights Association, Howard enjoys hockey, NFL football, sci-fi and horror movies, playing with his dog, and spending time with family and friends.