The Census Bureau does not maintain a public changelog or regularly share updates about changes to its sprawling API ecosystem. Longtime data users and package developers find it nearly impossible to know when specific variables or datasets are added, modified, or removed. A publicly accessible catalog has been created to record and surface API changes over time, documenting additions and deletions across endpoints. The catalog aims to improve discoverability and reduce maintenance burden for analysts, developers, and other data users who rely on stable Census API outputs. The situation illustrates a broader need for a consistent, government-wide approach to API change tracking.
Hannah Recht is tracking data through the U.S. Census Bureau APIs:
The Census Bureau doesn't maintain a public changelog or regularly share updates about changes to their sprawling API universe. As a longtime Census data user and package developer I've found it nearly impossible to know when data is added or removed. This project attempts to publicly catalog the changes.
We need a government-wide changelog.
Collection
[
|
...
]