Census Takers to Start Follow Up with Nonresponding Households

On Tuesday, August 11, the U.S. Census Bureau will begin visiting households that have not responded to the 2020 Census as part of its Nonresponse Followup (NRFU) operation. To ensure a complete and accurate count, census takers will visit households through September 30 and will enter information on their Census Bureau issued smart phone to ensure information is safe and secure. Households can continue to self-respond online at 2020census.gov or by phone 844-330-2020 for English or 844-468-2020 for Spanish. Self-responding online, by phone, or by mail reduces the likelihood a census taker will visit a person’s home. 

Protecting Health and Safety 

The Census Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are working together to protect the health and safety of the public and our employees. Participation in 2020 Census interviews should present a low risk of transmission of COVID-19. 

Census takers are trained to rigorously and universally follow these CDC recommendations to mitigate the risk of transmission:  

• Wearing face masks 
• Maintaining social distance of 6 feet or more 
• Practicing hand hygiene 
• Not entering homes, and conducting interviews outside as much as possible or practical 

Household members encountered by census staff are encouraged to maintain social distances during interviews and practice the CDC’s other recommendations as much as possible. 

Joint statement from the Census Bureau and the CDC 

What Households Can Expect 

Census takers are hired from local communities. All census takers speak English, and many are bilingual. If a census taker does not speak the householder’s language, the household may request a return visit from a census taker who does. Census takers will also have materials on hand to help identify the household’s language.  

If no one is home when the census taker visits, the census taker will leave a notice of their visit with information about how to respond online, by phone or by mail. People are encouraged to cooperate with census takers and ensure that everyone who was living in their household as of April 1, 2020, is counted.  

How to Identify Census Takers  

Census takers can be easily identified by a valid government ID badge with their photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date on the badge. To confirm a census taker’s identity, the public may contact the Denver/Dallas Regional Census Center at 972-510-1800 to speak with a Census Bureau representative. 

About the 2020 Census 

The U.S. Constitution mandates a census of the population every 10 years. The goal of the 2020 Census is to count everyone who lived in the United States on April 1, 2020 (Census Day). Census statistics are used to determine the number of seats each state holds in the U.S. House of Representatives and determines how billions of dollars in federal funds will be allocated by state, local and federal lawmakers annually for the next 10 years.   

For b-roll video and photos on how to identify a Census employee visit:https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-kits/2020/b-roll.html  For more information about the 2020 Census, visit 2020census.gov.