DOC OIG: The Census Bureau Lacks Accurate and Informative Cost Data to Guide 2020 Census Research Through a Constrained Budget Environment

At a cost of $94 per household, the life-cycle cost of the 2010 Census was about $13 billion. The Census Bureau is committed to conducting the 2020 Census for less, per household, than the 2010 Census. To achieve this goal, the Bureau must make fun- damental changes to the design, implementation, and management of the decennial census. If the Bureau fails to innovate in these areas, the per-household cost of the 2020 Census could reach $148.