In March of 2020, the world changed due to a global pandemic. Many U.S. Census Bureau programs were at a standstill. We had no way to reach the public — our field representatives could not go on personal visits; our telephone centers were closed, pausing telephone interviewing; and our processing center was closed, suspending the mailing of invitations. We could not collect crucial information at a time when it was most needed. A small group convened to discuss how to collect these critical data. From those discussions, the Household Pulse Survey (HPS) was born. The HPS is a program developed by the Census Bureau to meet data needs for informing emerging policy questions in an exceptionally timely way. Conceived in March 2020 and launched in April 2020 to address critical data gaps for understanding the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the HPS was initially seen as a source for guiding emergency response across multiple dimensions of American life. 

The initial HPS content included topics directly related to the pandemic — employment and income loss, housing and food security, dimensions of mental health and access to care, and educational disruption. Topics on the infant formula shortage, energy costs, and economic inflation were added shortly thereafter upon request by other agencies that had no other real-time data source. Uses of the HPS data have only diversified and deepened over time. It has since evolved into a vehicle that produces data on various critical social and economic dynamics affecting American households. The importance of HPS data is demonstrated by their ongoing use by multiple federal agencies, local governments, the media, and academic institutions. HPS data also provide significant value to businesses, researchers, journalists, educators, public health officials, and the general public. It remains a valuable tool in the Census Bureau's data collection efforts to provide the nation with quality, up-to-date information that informs our future. 

As part of the Census Bureau’s efforts to ensure these vital data are produced in an efficient, less burdensome manner that enhances their richness for informing policy, the Census Bureau will be introducing new methods for conducting the survey. Beginning in October 2024, HPS content will be incorporated into a longitudinal design, with data collected every other month and released at a national level. The longitudinal design will benefit HPS data by allowing direct measurement of change over a much longer period of time in critical elements like spending, inflation, and other social and economic indicators of well-being. 

To facilitate this transition, the Census Bureau plans to end current HPS data collection Sept. 16, with the final data release Oct. 3. Data will continue to be collected in October and December. In January 2025, the HPS will be relaunched as the Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey (HTOPS).  

The HTOPS will continue the strong tradition of the HPS by rapidly providing insight into national events that have social and economic impacts on U.S. households. It will complement more traditional federal surveys by producing data much closer to real time as the events develop. HTOPS will begin producing an experimental data product, like the HPS, but the goal is to produce an official data product as the methodology matures. Along with HPS content, HTOPS will enable the Census Bureau to address research and content development needs for its census and survey programs. The HTOPS will be one more tool among the Census Bureau's data collection efforts to provide the nation with quality, up-to-date information that informs our future.