As mandated by the U.S. Constitution, the census is a once-every-decade count of everyone living in the country. When we know how many people live in your community, organizations, and businesses are better equipped to evaluate the services and programs needed, such as clinics, schools, and roads. It also determines how seats in Congress are distributed among the 50 states. This month, the U.S. Census Bureau will send every household an invitation to complete a simple questionnaire about who lives at your address on April 1st. You will have the opportunity to respond online, by phone, or by mail, and federal law keeps those responses safe and secure.
Ninety-five percent or about 143 million households in the country will receive an initial invitation to respond to the 2020 Census in their mailboxes between March 12 and 20. Households are encouraged to respond when they receive their invitation. Depending on how likely the area is to respond online, households will receive either an invitation encouraging them to respond online or by phone (about 112 million households), or an invitation along with a paper questionnaire (about 31 million households).
All invitations will include a short phrase in English and 12 additional languages inviting people to respond online or by phone in their language. In areas where 20 percent or more of the households need Spanish assistance, the invitations will be in both English and Spanish.
All households receiving an invitation in the mail will receive a second letter in the mail shortly after reminding them to respond. Then, households that still haven’t responded will receive a series of additional reminders, including a paper questionnaire in mid-April. Census takers will follow up with households that don’t respond to collect responses in person.
Shape your future. Start here. Visit 2020CENSUS.GOV