Some people love Trump; some people people hate his guts.
But, whatever you think about the man, there’s no question that he’s radically restructuring the American government at its deepest and most fundamental levels.
The federal government is considering major changes to how Americans are counted in the 2030 Census – and county officials across the country are warning that the changes could have big financial consequences for local governments.
That includes Guilford County, where federal funding helps support services ranging from transportation and housing to public health and programs for low-income residents.
The proposed changes would exclude some people who live in the United States from the population count that’s used to determine representation in Congress, establish new residency requirements and eliminate certain demographic questions.
The US Census Bureau is accepting public comments on the proposal through Monday, Nov. 2, giving counties and other interested parties only a few more days to weigh in.
The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners highlighted the issue in its Friday, Oct. 30, newsletter, warning that changes in how the population is counted could affect federal funding for the next decade.
The National Association of Counties has also raised concerns about the proposal and that group is encouraging county governments to submit comments before the deadline.
One of the most significant changes involves who would be counted.
Under the procedures used for the 2020 Census, the government counted people who ordinarily lived in the United States – regardless of whether they were American citizens or legally authorized to remain in the country.
Foreign tourists and other short-term visitors weren’t counted.
Under the new proposal, only American citizens and lawful permanent residents – commonly known as green card holders – would be included in the population used to allocate congressional seats among the states.
That means that undocumented immigrants would be excluded, but so would some people who are legally living in the United States – including international students, temporary workers and people with certain humanitarian immigration protections.
The Census Bureau argues that the changes would better reflect the constitutional requirements for determining congressional representation.
The agency maintains that the concept of a person’s usual residence involves more than simply being physically present in the country and can include the durability of that person’s ties to the United States.
However, the National Association of Counties argues that excluding people who actually live in a community could result in population figures that don’t accurately reflect the number of residents using local services.
For Guilford County, the issue could be especially relevant because Greensboro and High Point have substantial immigrant communities, while the large number of colleges and universities in the area attract international students. Guilford County is home to several major institutions of higher education, including UNC Greensboro, North Carolina A&T State University, Guilford College and High Point University.
Under the proposed rules, international students who aren’t American citizens or permanent residents would be excluded from the congressional apportionment count – even if they live in Guilford County for several years while attending school.
These changes could also affect how the Census Bureau determines where students and other residents should be counted. Currently, the Census Bureau generally counts college students where they live and sleep most of the time, including student housing near campus.
The proposed regulations would establish a different standard based on where a person has lawfully spent the greatest number of days during a designated period running from Jan. 3 through April 1 of the census year.
That could create complications for college towns and communities with populations that move frequently.
The National Association of Counties has also questioned what the changes could mean for people living in shelters, group homes, residential treatment facilities and other situations that don’t fit neatly into traditional household arrangements. The Census Bureau proposes to consolidate numerous special residency categories into a smaller number of categories.
County officials are concerned that some populations could become more difficult to count accurately.
Guilford County’s population was 541,299 in the 2020 Census. By July 2025, the Census Bureau estimated that the population had grown to 562,234.
Those figures matter for more than determining how many people live in the county.
Census information is used in federal funding formulas for numerous government programs, including transportation, community development, housing and social services.
The National Association of Counties reports that census data helps guide the distribution of more than $2.8 trillion in annual federal funding nationwide through hundreds of programs.
However, not every federal funding formula uses the congressional apportionment population, and it isn’t yet clear exactly how the proposed changes would affect the population figures used for individual funding programs.
Any financial impact on Guilford County would depend on the final regulations and how federal agencies use the resulting census data.
So county officials have good reason to pay attention.
If a population count fails to reflect the actual number of people living in an area, that could create a mismatch between the population used to allocate certain federal funds and the number of people that local governments must serve.
Another proposed change involves the questions Americans would be asked when the census is conducted.
The Census Bureau wants to prohibit questions about race, ethnicity and sexual orientation on questionnaires used for the decennial inventory.
The agency argues that demographic questions that aren’t necessary to establish a population count shouldn’t interfere with the primary constitutional purpose of the census.
The proposal would still permit questions about biological sex, date of birth and household relationships.
The National Association of Counties argues that removing race and ethnicity questions could make it more difficult for local governments to obtain the information they need for civil rights compliance, redistricting and the administration of certain public programs.
Race and ethnicity information collected by the Census Bureau has historically been important in evaluating whether voting districts comply with federal voting rights requirements.
The proposed changes wouldn’t eliminate all federal demographic surveys. The Census Bureau would still be able to collect information through programs such as the American Community Survey.
However, county officials are questioning whether those other surveys could provide the same level of detail and accuracy available from the decennial census.
The proposal would also expand the use of federal administrative records to determine where people live and whether they qualify for inclusion in the congressional apportionment count.
The Census Bureau is considering information from government agencies, including tax and immigration records, to help verify residency and legal status.
Supporters of that approach argue that using existing government records could improve accuracy and reduce the need for costly follow-up work. Critics, however, question whether administrative records could lead to errors – particularly involving people who move frequently, don’t file tax returns or have complicated living arrangements.
The proposal has also raised legal questions about whether the federal government can exclude certain residents from the population used to allocate seats in the US House of Representatives.
The Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment calls for representation to be apportioned according to the whole number of persons in each state, with some specified exceptions.
The Census Bureau argues that its proposed residency standards are consistent with constitutional requirements and the discretion Congress has granted federal officials in conducting the census.
Whether that interpretation will survive legal challenges remains uncertain.
For Guilford County, there’s another practical question: How many residents might be excluded under the proposed rules?
The available countywide population figures don’t establish how many residents would be left out, and there’s no verified estimate of how much federal funding Guilford County might gain or lose.
Those questions will require additional analysis of local population data and the federal formulas that use census information.
The Census Bureau published the proposed regulations on Sept. 10.
The original public-comment deadline was Oct. 13; however, the agency extended it to Nov. 2 after requests for additional time.
The National Association of Counties has been urging county governments to examine the proposal and explain how the changes could affect their communities.
Comments can be submitted through the federal regulations website under docket number USBC-2026-0628.
The regulations haven’t been finalized, and the Census Bureau could revise them in response to public comments. The proposal was signed by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
But the implications could extend well beyond the 2030 population count: The census affects congressional representation, government planning and the distribution of federal money for years afterward.
For Guilford County, the central question is whether the revised count would accurately reflect the people who live here and depend on local services – and what the county might stand to lose if it doesn’t.
