The United States cannot censor Tor because it was created by the country’s own military. That is why the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) exists; they probably use Tor or another non-public service for their highly complex communications.
Tor simply isn’t anonymous; it’s luck at its core. What does that mean? No matter how many “nodes” there are and its technology, the United States knows very well how said technology is built and its unknown vulnerabilities, which the public is unaware of, and as such, they are exploited for high-level espionage.
If that weren’t enough, they themselves even have infiltrated nodes in the network.
A VPN like Mullvad, for example, is useful for what it was designed for; it doesn’t offer anonymity, but rather, certain privacy and security at the network level.
People who sometimes need these tools, like a VPN, do so more to watch movies when the website is blocked in said country, among other things, depending on the case.
Now, if we talk about a high level, like an independent investigator, for example, who is being unjustly pursued by the authorities, what Tor or a VPN does is delay the adversaries in their search if they haven’t located you yet. When using Tor or a VPN (or another type), with the local ISP network and the systems (physical cameras, satellites, police, etc.), you have to be lucky that they haven’t detected you.
Once detected, whatever the method may be, they already know how to proceed against the investigator and their options are drastically reduced (for the investigator).
It all depends on whether the nodes used aren’t “infected,” whether the VPN used can defend you in emergency situations (pursuits), etc.
Understanding the above, the answer is: it’s a matter of luck and your needs.
Don’t be fooled where a provider mentions the word: “guaranteed,” at a minimum.
