Harrisonburg Opposes Proposed Changes to U.S. Census Count
Harrisonburg, Virginia, is officially opposing proposed changes to the U.S. Census count. City officials have expressed concerns that alterations to demographic questions and residence criteria could lead to the exclusion of non-naturalized residents, which could negatively impact the city's federal…
Harrisonburg, VA, October 27, 2026 —
Harrisonburg, Virginia, is officially opposing proposed changes to the U.S. Census count, citing concerns that revisions to demographic questions and rules for determining residence could exclude non-naturalized residents from the count.
City officials have warned that a lower population count could negatively affect Harrisonburg’s federal funding, which is based on population data. The trend summary does not specify which proposed questions or residence criteria are under consideration, or how the city formally expressed its opposition.
The summary also does not identify the officials involved, provide a timeline for the proposed changes, or state whether any changes have been adopted. It does not give an estimate of how many residents could be affected or quantify any potential impact on funding. Those details were not provided, so the scope of the city’s concern cannot be determined from the available information.
The dispute centers on how residents are counted and the possible consequences for a city’s population figures. Harrisonburg’s position, as described by city officials, is that changes to census questions and residence rules could leave some non-naturalized residents out of the count. The city’s concern is that such an exclusion could, in turn, negatively affect funding tied to population data.
No response from federal officials, further explanation of the proposed changes, or next steps in the process were included in the summary. Whether Harrisonburg’s opposition will affect the proposals is also not stated.
Story summarized from the original created by Tyren Robinson on www.whsv.com, see more information here.
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