BEND, Ore. — John Thompson, renowned for leading the 2020 census planning as the head of the U.S. Census Bureau, has passed away at the age of 73. His death occurred on May 9 at his residence in Bend, Oregon.
Appointed by President Barack Obama, Thompson took on the role of the Census Bureau’s 24th director in 2013. He served until 2017, stepping down after President Donald Trump assumed office. During his tenure, Thompson was instrumental in implementing technological advancements for the 2020 census. This included a significant leap towards using smartphones and enabling online responses, efforts that proved vital as these tools were pivotal in carrying out the census during the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ron Jarmin, currently acting director of the Census Bureau, credited Thompson for his pivotal role in modernizing the census, saying, “He directed the preparations for what became the most technologically advanced census ever undertaken in our nation. His extensive public service experience emphasized the importance of the agency’s organizational excellence.”
Thompson began his journey at the Census Bureau in 1975 after obtaining a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Virginia Tech. Over the years, he climbed the ranks to become the associate director for decennial census programs, overseeing the comprehensive efforts of the 2000 census. He also advanced techniques such as optical scanning and intelligent character recognition that transformed handwritten census forms into digital responses, a landmark development for the bureau.
The census data collected every decade is crucial for determining the apportionment of congressional seats, Electoral College count, and distribution of federal resources across states. Thompson exited the Census Bureau in 2002 and joined the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center (NORC), where he eventually held the position of president and CEO. Under his leadership at NORC, he oversaw the National Immunization Surveys, which was the largest telephone-based social science survey being conducted in the United States at the time.
Dan Gaylin, NORC’s current president and CEO, expressed gratitude for Thompson’s contributions, stating, “John’s significant impact on NORC and its members is immeasurable. His assured, empowering leadership, rooted in strong values, enabled NORC to envision and realize its future.”
After leaving the Census Bureau in 2017, Thompson briefly served as executive director of the Council of Professional Associations for Federal Statistics before retiring in 2018. He is survived by his wife, Bonnie, and their three children.