Trade associations, chambers of commerce and companies warn that removing the data "would remove the anchor the American business community uses to gauge the accuracy of its own numbers and decision-making"
Washington, DC - A cross-section of the U.S. business community filed comments on November 2, 2026 with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick expressing "strong opposition to the Census Bureau's proposal to prohibit any question about race or ethnicity on the 2030 Census questionnaire."
The 14 groups -- the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA), Asian Business Association, Association of National Advertisers (ANA), Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International, Coin Laundry Association, Insights Association, Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), The Latino Coalition, National Association for Business Economics (NABE), National Retail Federation (NRF), Nielsen, North Platte Area Chamber and Development Corporation, Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, and United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce -- represent "millions of American workers and businesses across every sector of the U.S. economy."
The proposed rule, published in the Federal Register on September 10, 2026, would state that: "No question about race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation shall appear on the short form decennial census questionnaire or any questionnaire used for the enumeration of the population."
The business groups urged the Commerce Department and the Census Bureau "not to finalize this restriction as it applies to race and ethnicity," noting that such questions "were added by our country's founders to the first census in 1790, and have been part of it every census since."
"Census race and ethnicity data are not a niche statistical input," the groups wrote. "They are a key part of the authoritative, universal benchmark against which nearly every statistically-representative dataset used in the American economy is built, weighted, and validated. Businesses in financial services, healthcare, insurance, retail, real estate, advertising, and market research all rely on this benchmark, directly or indirectly, to identify and serve their customers accurately and effectively."
As noted by Howard Fienberg, Senior VP Advocacy at the Insights Association, representing the market research, insights and analytics industry, and codirector of The Census Project coalition, "Businesses rely on the census as the yardstick for knowing whether their information reflects the real America. Strip race and ethnicity from the 2030 Census, and every piece of research, including key economic indicators, loses its reference point. That means worse decisions, wasted investment and less competitive American businesses."
Among many examples the business groups cited:
- Retail, real estate and site selection: “Retailers, restaurant chains, medical professionals, hospital networks, banks and developers compare neighborhood and regional demographics to national benchmarks” to decide “where to open offices, stores, restaurants, ATMs, medical facilities, or storage and distribution centers.”
- Advertising "currency": Census-derived controls underpin "the ratings and audience metrics against which the entire multi-billion-dollar advertising marketplace is priced."
- Economic forecasting: “Economists rely on Census benchmarks to analyze labor markets, assess consumer demand, and forecast economic trends.” The Current Population Survey, "the source of the nation's unemployment rate and other key labor-market indicators," uses population controls anchored to the decennial census.
- Product testing: Without a reliable benchmark, "a multi-million-dollar launch decision would rest on a sample of unknown and unverifiable representativeness -- the business equivalent of playing darts while dizzy and blindfolded."
Removing the questions "would degrade the accuracy of survey weighting and sampling nationwide, and increase costs and uncertainty for every U.S. business that depends on reliable market and consumer insights," the groups warned.
The signers "respectfully urge the Department of Commerce and the Census Bureau to withdraw or substantially revise this proposed rule and to maintain race and ethnicity questions on the 2030 Census."
Read the full comments.
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.