How the 2020 Census Will Invite Everyone to Respond

Nearly every household will receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census from either a postal worker or a census worker.

Most areas of the country are likely to respond
online, so most households will receive a
letter asking you to go online to complete the
census questionnaire.

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Areas that are less likely to respond online
will receive a paper questionnaire along with
their invitation. The invitation will also include
information about how to respond online or
by phone.

Every household will have the option of responding online, by mail, or by phone.

What to Expect in the Mail

When it’s time to respond, most households will receive an invitation in the mail.

Depending on how likely your area is to respond online, you’ll receive either an invitation
encouraging you to respond online or an invitation along with a paper questionnaire.

Letter Invitation

We plan on working with the U.S. Postal
Service to stagger the delivery of these
invitations over several days.

This way we can
spread out the number of users responding
online.

And we’ll be able to serve you better if
you need help over the phone.

Note: We have special procedures to count people who don’t live in households, such as students living in university housing or people experiencing homelessness.

In Case You Miss Our Initial Letter In the Mail

We understand you might miss our initial letter in the mail. Every household that hasn’t already responded will receive reminders and will eventually receive a paper questionnaire. It doesn’t matter which initial invitation you get or how you get it—we will follow up in person with all households that don’t respond.

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How the 2020 Census Will Invite Everyone to Respond