  This report summarizes major findings from an independent evaluation of 2020
census operations. The American Statistical Association 2020 Census Quality
Indicators Task Force selected the authors to conduct the evaluation using
nonpublic operations data provided by the Census Bureau.
  The evaluation focused on the quality of state-level population counts
released by the Census Bureau for congressional apportionment. The authors
first partitioned the census enumeration process into five operation phases.
Within each phase, one or more activities considered to be critical to census
data quality were identified. Operational data from each activity were then
analyzed to assess the risk of error, particularly as they related to similar
activities in the 2010 census.
  Overall, the evaluation found that census operations relied on higher risk
activities at a higher rate in 2020 than in 2010, suggesting that the risk of
error may be higher in 2020 than in 2010. However, the available data were
insufficient to determine whether the apportionment counts are of lower quality
in 2020 than in 2010.
