Census 2020 - Responding to Census
Responding to the Census is Easy! There are three ways to respond to the 2020 Census.
By April 1, 2020, every home will receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census. You will have three options for responding:
- Online.
- By phone.
- By mail.
In mid-March, households will begin receiving official Census Bureau mail with detailed information on how to respond to the 2020 Census.
Who is Required to Respond
Everyone living in the 50 states, District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) is required by law to be counted in the 2020 Census.
Why It's Required
Getting a complete and accurate census count is critically important. That's why your response is required by law. If you do not respond, the U.S. Census Bureau will follow up in person to collect your response.
Why is the census so important? The results are used to determine how much funding local communities receive for key public services and how many seats each state gets in Congress. State and local officials also use census counts to draw boundaries for congressional, state legislative, and school districts.
And while you are required by law to participate, the Census Bureau is also required by law to protect your answers. Your responses are used only to produce statistics. The Census Bureau does not disclose any personal information.
