The Democrat, who has held his role in state government since 1995, was the commonwealth’s liaison for the 2020 census count. He’s also tasked with overseeing the next one in 2030.
“The federal government comes to the localities now, beginning in 2026, and starts to ask them for new addresses so they can try to make sure they count everybody," Galvin explained to WAMC. "The bureaucracy of the census starts its process right now.”
While the population grew in most regions throughout Massachusetts, the Berkshires recorded a precipitous drop in 2020 - one that Galvin thinks might have resulted from the methods used to count people in the largely aging, white, rural county.
“We want to make sure that the changes that have occurred in the Berkshires, which have brought new people in in some cases – for instance, some of the industrial buildings that are now being converted into residences, maybe some of the seasonal residents who have extended their stays here – are incorporated into the plans we're making for 2030,” he said.
The secretary attributes the loss of younger residents, in part, to the county’s historic shift from the industrial jobs of the 20th century to the comparatively lean offerings of the seasonal, hospitality-based economy of the 21st.
Galvin’s efforts to prepare Massachusetts for 2030 come as President Donald Trump calls for a “new” census that would only count fully documented citizens. The secretary, an outspoken critic of Trump, says Massachusetts faced similar pressures during the last census.
“We had efforts to make sure nonnative-born persons were not counted," the Democrat said. "There was this belief that you only had to be a citizen, which was not part of the constitution. We took that all the way the United States Supreme Court and won in 2020, and that's why we did so well. We also adapted our counting measures to make sure that people were comfortable in getting counted. We're probably going to have all that and more this time. Just remember though- The actual count will be in 2030. At that point, this administration will have ended. But the preparatory work which is going on now, they will influence, and they are influencing.”
Galvin says the significance of census preparation can’t be overstated.
“I'm concerned, because the easy answer would be, oh, well, it's changing out there, we won't worry too much about it, it’s still going to be nice and they'll still have an economy- That's really not the answer," he told WAMC. "We want to make sure the Berkshires are fairly representative legislatively, politically. We also want to make sure they get the benefit financially, economically. Well, we've seen cutbacks now that have been adverse to our state's interests in other parts of the country. That's not going to be the way it is for the next 10 years. You've got to remember- This census is about the period up until 2040, so it's a long distance into the future. The current political circumstances will no longer be applicable.”
