Census 101: What You Need To Know
The 2020 Census is fast approaching. Here are a number of helpful resources to keep you informed.
Everyone counts - The census counts every person living in the U.S. once, only once, and in the right place.
It's in the Constitution - The U.S. Constitution requires a census every 10 years. The census covers the entire country and everyone living here. The first census was in 1790.
It's about fair representation - Every 10 years, the results of the census are used to reapportion the House of Representatives, determining how many seats each state gets.
Resource documents - Click each title to learn more
- Your responses to the 2020 Census are safe, secure, and protected by federal law. Your answers can only be used to produce statistics—they cannot be used against you in any way. By law, all responses to U.S. Census Bureau household and business surveys are kept completely confidential.
- Here's a quick refresher of what the census is and why it's essential that everyone is counted.
How the Census Invites you to Participate
- Every household will have the option of responding online, by mail, or by phone. Nearly every household will receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census from either a postal worker or a census worker.
- The Counting for Dollars 2020 Project aims to understand 1) the extent to which the federal government will rely on data from the 2020 Census to guide the distribution of federal funding to states, localities, and households across the nation and 2) the impact of the accuracy of the 2020 Census on the fair, equitable distribution of these funds.
