Skip to main content

Summary:

Getting ready for the 2030 Census shouldn’t wait until 2030: it starts now with preparation for the upcoming Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) program. That message was front and center last month at the 2026 Texas Demographic Conference in Austin, where the Texas Census Institute (TxCI) co-hosted a presentation emphasizing the importance of LUCA. TxCI President & CEO Angela Broyles, joined by Strategic Partnership Manager Jessica Thornton, attended the conference, with Broyles co-leading a session on LUCA alongside Richard Wade, Deputy Executive Administrator at the Texas Geographic Information Office.

Panel Overview

2030 Is Closer Than You Think: Strengthening Census Data Starts With LUCA

During their session, Angela Broyles and Richard Wade highlighted how LUCA is a critical tool that encourages local municipalities to submit revised residential records to the U.S. Census Bureau by March of 2028 starting just next year in 2027.

This initiative is essential for achieving an accurate 2030 Census count, as LUCA gives local governments a direct opportunity to correct residential addresses the Census Bureau uses to reach every household. When households are added to a county’s address database now, more people will receive the census questionnaire in 2030, leading to higher participation, and in turn, increased funding and county representation.

Panel Takeaways

Inaccurate addresses are a leading cause of census undercounts, and LUCA is the most direct way local governments can fix them before 2030 — but the submission window closes March 31, 2028, and most Texas jurisdictions skipped it last cycle.
Hidalgo County’s LUCA efforts potentially generated an estimated $45 million in federal funding for Texas, at roughly $4,500 per household counted.
The Texas Census Institute is piloting an address improvement project in Newton County to strengthen LUCA submissions — building a replicable playbook for the dozens of similarly under-resourced rural counties across Texas.
TxGIO is proposing a statewide GIS model to identify address gaps and support local governments with targeted correction lists — making LUCA participation practical for counties that lack the staff or resources to do it alone.

Panelists

Richard Wade, Deputy Executive Administrator, Texas Geographic Information Office,  Linkedin

Angela Broyles, Founder, President & CEO, Texas Census Institute, LinkedIn

Conference Materials

Leave a Reply