Fact check: Does the U.S. Constitutions census requirement which includes counting all people include people on vacation

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, yes, the U.S. Constitution's census requirement does include people on vacation, but with specific counting rules. The constitutional requirement stems from the 14th Amendment, which mandates counting the "whole number of persons in each state" ^{[1] [2]}. This broad language implies that all people should be included regardless of their temporary status.

However, the U.S. Census Bureau has established specific Residence Criteria that determine how people on vacation are counted. According to these official guidelines, people who are away from their usual residence on Census Day due to vacation or business trips are counted at the residence where they live and sleep most of the time ^{[3] [4]}. This means tourists or visitors are not counted where they happen to be vacationing, but rather at their primary residence.

The analyses also reveal that the census includes "foreign-born residents" and "all foreign born who participate in its censuses and surveys, regardless of legal status" ^[5], which could encompass foreign nationals on vacation in the United States, though they would be counted at their usual residence if they have one in the U.S.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks several crucial pieces of context that emerge from the analyses:

• The distinction between constitutional requirements and practical implementation: While the Constitution requires counting all persons, the Census Bureau has developed specific residence criteria that determine where people are counted ^{[3] [4]}.
• Current political controversy: The analyses reveal ongoing debates about census inclusion, particularly President Trump's proposals to exclude undocumented immigrants from census counts ^{[1] [6] [7]}. This political context suggests that census inclusion questions are highly contentious and have significant implications for political representation and federal funding distribution.
• The difference between being counted and where you're counted: The question implies a binary inclusion/exclusion framework, but the reality is more nuanced - people on vacation are counted, but at their primary residence rather than their vacation location.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question, while straightforward, contains an implicit oversimplification that could lead to misunderstanding:

• The question assumes a simple yes/no answer when the reality involves complex residence determination rules that affect where people are counted rather than whether they are counted.
• The framing ignores the practical implementation challenges that the Census Bureau has addressed through detailed residence criteria, potentially leading to confusion about how the constitutional mandate is actually executed.
• The question lacks awareness of the current political context surrounding census inclusion debates, which could make the answer seem more straightforward than it actually is in practice, given ongoing legal and political challenges to traditional census counting methods ^{[1] [7]}.