Courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau

UNITED STATES – The 2020 Census has been underway since earlier this year, but if you haven’t responded yet, it’s not too late to respond and shape your future.

You can still complete the questionnaire yourself online at www.2020census.gov, by calling 844-330-2020, or by returning the paper form you received in the mail. Respond using the address where you were living on April 1, 2020 and include anyone who was living with you at the time.

Your response matters – as does that of your friends, family, and neighbors – because the results of the 2020 Census determine how many seats your state gets in the U.S. House of Representatives and inform how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding will be allocated every year to communities like yours across the country. You can view your state, city, or county’s response rates via our online interactive map at www.2020census.gov/en/response-rates.html.

If you respond on your own now, it is less likely that a census taker will visit you in person over the next month to help you complete the questionnaire. However, if someone from the Census Bureau does visit you, please cooperate with them. You’ll know they are a Census Bureau employee by their identification badge, which will have their photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date. All census takers have been trained on social distancing protocols, will be issued Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and will follow local guidelines for its use.

The once-a-decade population count is mandated by the U.S. Constitution. Responses to the census inform planning and funding decisions for emergency and disaster response, healthcare and hospitals, schools and education, roads and bridges, and other vital community resources. Census responses shape the future for everyone, whether you live in a city or a small town, a rural area, on a boat, or in an RV. It impacts children, college students, and adults of all ages.

If you’re not able to verify if someone else in your household has already responded, such as a roommate or family member, go ahead and respond and include everyone in your household in your response; the Census Bureau eliminates duplicate responses when processing the questionnaires.

If you own a seasonal or vacation home (where you do not live and sleep most of the time), and you know that no one else usually lives there, you also need to respond online or by phone and answer “no” when asked if you or anyone else is living or staying at that address on April 1, 2020. If you received a questionnaire at your door, you can also fill it out and mail it back.

Your answers to the 2020 Census questionnaire are strictly confidential and protected by law. The Census Bureau is not allowed to share personal data with anyone, including other government agencies or law enforcement.