Census Bureau Director Santos Resigns Amid 2030 Census Preparations

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Santos announced his resignation Thursday, creating an early opportunity for President Donald Trump to nominate a new leader for the agency as it prepares for the 2030 census. Santos, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden in 2022, will step down midway through his five-year term.

In a letter shared with NPR, Santos described his decision as the result of “deep reflection” and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve. “It’s been such an honor to serve our nation,” he wrote. The resignation comes at a critical juncture, as the bureau is in the midst of planning for the 2030 census, which will determine political representation and federal funding distribution for the next decade.

Arturo Vargas, chair of the bureau’s 2030 Census Advisory Committee, emphasized the importance of stability in leadership during this period. “It’s always important for an agency as large as the Census Bureau to have stability in its most senior position,” Vargas told NPR. “We’re at a critical point in the bureau’s preparations for the 2030 decennial census.”

Santos, the first Hispanic director of the Census Bureau, has been a vocal advocate for rebuilding public trust in the agency. During his tenure, he focused on outreach to overlooked communities and oversaw significant changes to the bureau’s operations, including the creation of a new advisory committee for the 2030 census and updates to questions about race, ethnicity, and gender identity.

However, his departure raises concerns among census watchers about potential politicization of the bureau under Trump’s leadership. Trump’s first administration attempted to exclude undocumented immigrants from the census count, a move that was ultimately blocked by the courts. Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for secretary of commerce, which oversees the Census Bureau, recently affirmed during a confirmation hearing that the bureau would count “each whole person” as required by the Constitution.

Civil rights groups have urged Trump to appoint an impartial leader to ensure the integrity of the census. “The integrity of the U.S. Census Bureau must remain above partisan influence,” said The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights in a statement. The census not only determines congressional representation but also guides the distribution of $2.8 trillion in federal funding annually.

Santos’s resignation follows a pattern of early departures among Census Bureau directors. Since 2012, when a law established five-year terms for the position to ensure continuity, all three directors have resigned before completing their terms. Historian Margo Anderson noted, “The goal was to insulate the planning of the decennial census from presidential politics, and that is clearly not working.”

Before joining the Census Bureau, Santos spent four decades in survey research and statistical analysis, including roles at the Urban Institute. In his resignation letter, he expressed plans to spend time with his family in retirement.