Which town counts a student in the census?

A student who lives near college may spend part of the year with family in another town. Each town can reasonably feel like home. The 2020 U.S. Census had to assign each person to a place under a common rule so that counts for local areas could add up to the national count.

Start with where someone usually lives

The Census Bureau’s 2020 residence criteria began with usual residence, generally where someone lived and slept most of the time. The date of reference was April 1, 2020. The rules set out what to do for situations such as temporary travel, living in student accommodation and having no usual home.

For an ordinary college case, consider two students. One commutes from a parent’s home and lives there while attending college. Under the criteria, the student was counted at that home. The other lives away from the parent’s home while attending a U.S. college. That student was generally counted where they lived and slept while studying, on or off campus. The criteria also spell out how to count students in college housing on Census Day.

A temporary move raised the stakes in 2020

COVID-19 disrupted campus life while the count was under way. In a March 2020 notice, the Census Bureau told colleges that students who were temporarily away because of the outbreak should generally be counted according to where they would normally have been living while at school. The clarification shows why the reference date and the definition of residence must be read together.

The Bureau separately explains how it looked for duplicate responses during processing. It could use information such as name and birth date and evaluate competing address records. A student might plausibly appear in a response from family and in a separate response near campus, which is why the address rule and duplicate checks both matter.

Use the definition when reading local totals

For a college town, campus residents can be an important part of the local population counted. When comparing a census number with a figure for a holiday period or with a university enrolment total, ask what each number measures. Enrolment counts students associated with a school, including some who live elsewhere. Census geography assigns residents using a set of residence rules.

This example is specific to the 2020 U.S. count. If you are interpreting another census, find its reference date, the residence definition and any rules for the group you are interested in.