Texas Census Institute

The Texas Census Institute (TxCI) provides independent, nonpartisan, and data-driven census policy and program guidance to overcome operational and motivational barriers to census participation so that, through a complete count, all Texans can enjoy a great quality of life.

Our Story

The Texas Census Institute was born out of the Texas Counts Campaign, a coordinated statewide effort launched in 2019 that supported trusted community organizations in reaching historically undercounted populations during the 2020 Census.

Led by a coalition of funders and partners, the Texas Counts Campaign developed a pooled fund that provided grants to more than 50 community based organizations across Texas—while building a network of grassroots leaders, policy advocates, and regional stakeholders who worked together to increase census participation.

The relative success of this model, and the knowledge that with more planning time, the results would have been different, inspired the founding of TxCI in 2021 to establish a census hub in Texas to facilitate an accurate count in 2030 and beyond.