E V E R Y T H I N G Y O U N E E D T O K N O W T O H E L P Y O U R C O M M U N I T Y S U C C E S S F U L L Y C O M P L E T E

T H E C E N S U S

2020 Census Guidebook

ContentsI N T R O D U C T I O N | 3

T I M E L I N E | 4

B A S I C S | 5

L A N G U A G E G U I D E S | 5

C E N S U S S A F E T Y | 6

R E S P O N D I N G T O T H E C E N S U S | 7

N O N - R E S P O N S E F O L L O W U P P H A S E | 9

Q U E S T I O N S O N T H E 2 0 2 0 C E N S U S | 1 1

F R E Q U E N T L Y A S K E D Q U E S T I O N S | 1 3

G L O S S A R Y O F T E R M S | 1 7

S O U R C E S | 2 0

N O T E S | 2 1

C O N T A C T | 2 2

The census affects every aspect of American life and is the basis for our democracy. It is a population count that occurs every 10 years, with the next census beginning in March 2020. There are many components to ensuring a complete count, along with a lot of terminology. This guidebook will answer common questions, go over how the count will be conducted, how to respond and how the geographical differences in Colorado affect how we receive the census mailings.

It is more than just a nationwide headcount - the 2020 Census will be the foundation for all data in the U.S. for

the next 10 years. Policy leaders, businesses, schools, health care, and philanthropy

all use and rely on census data to make important decisions for our

communities. Programs such as Medicaid, CHIP, SNAP and

highway planning and repairs all receive funding based on

census data.

In additon to sufficient funding, the census is required by the Constitution and also determines Colorado’s political representation and how many congressional districts we have in the House of Representatives.

Introduction

W H A T I S T H E C E N S U S ?

TimelineThe census operations occur from March 2020 to July 2020.

J A N U A R Y - F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0Pre-census promotion including national and local ads.

M A R C H 1 2 , 2 0 2 0 The census uses the US postal service to send a letter of invitation to respond. The online and phone portal to respond also open this day.

M A R C H 3 0 , 3 1 , A P R I L 1 , 2 0 2 0 “Service Based Enumeration” begins to ensurethat homeless populations are counted.

A P R I L 1 , 2 0 2 0 Official Census Day! Ensuring that households fill out the census based on where they

“usually” live on April 1.

A P R I L 8 - 1 6 T H , 2 0 2 0 Paper forms will be sent out to households that have not yet responded.

A P R I L 2 0 2 0Group Quarters Counted. Group quarters are housing units like nursing homes and colleges.

A P R I L 2 0 - 2 7 T H , 2 0 2 0 Final reminder postcard before the Census Bureau begins door knocking phase.

M A Y 1 3 , 2 0 2 0Door knocking phase (also called Non-response follow up or NRFU). Everyone is still able to respond online, by paper and by phone during this phase or complete the

form with the census worker at the door.

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Why is April 1st “Census Day” if the

census is from March through July?

April 1st provides a reference point for where you are and usually reside. So if you move in May and

fill out the form in June 2020, fill out the form

where you were on April 1st.

W H A T I S T H E C E N S U S ?

The Census is a household questionnaire, that allows the US to know how many people live in our states and local communities.

W H O C O N D U C T S T H E C O U N T ?

The Census Bureau is a federal agency that will be conducting the count. The bureau employs many people on the ground, including partnership specialists who work within the community, and door knockers or “enumerators”.

There are many other people that are supporting a full count, including the state of Colorado, non-profits, media, businesses and local government agencies.

W H A T I S A H O U S E H O L D ? A household is a group of people, who may or may not be related by blood or marriage, who occupy a single living quarter and consider them-selves a unit within that space.

W H O D O I N E E D T O I N C L U D E I N T H E C E N S U S ? Anyone who usually resides in the household.

W H E R E I S T H E C O U N T C O N D U C T E D ? It is a nationwide count, and will be conducted across the U.S. and U.S. territories.

Basics

Language GuidesThere will also be guides in 59 languages that will be a step by step guide in filling out the form.

Language guides include Farsi, Greek, Hindi, Burmese, Punjabi, Amharic and many others.

The Census is Safe and Secure

Under Title 13 of the U.S. Code, the Census Bureau cannot release or share any information about individuals or individuals in a household.

• All federal, state, and local governmental agencies cannot access individualresponses

• Individual responses cannot be used by the government in any legal proceedings• Individual responses cannot be released through a court order

Individual data is locked up by the Census Bureau for 72 years.

T I T L E 1 3 : C E N S U S D A T A M A Y O N L Y B E U S E D T O P R O D U C E S TAT I S T I C S

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R E S P O N D O N L I N EEither at home on a computer, a smart phone or android or use a computer at the library or human services office. If you speak a language other than English, you can give your responses in up to 13 languages.

The 13 languages available include English, Spanish, Russian, Korean, Vietnamese, Arabic, Tagalog, Portugese, Polish, Haitian Creole, French, Japanese, Chinese (online simplified Chinese, over the phone Mandarin and Cantonese).

R E S P O N D B Y P H O N EYou can call the Census Bureau and give your responses, also in English or up to 13 languages.

R E S P O N D B Y M A I L If you do not fill out the census online or by phone, you will continue to receive reminder letters to respond. The 4th mailing sent out April 8 - 16th will include a paper form in English and Spanish. There is no way to request a paper form before one is automatically sent to you.

I F Y O U L I V E I N A N U R B A N O R S U B U R B A N A R E A

W H A T S H O U L D I E X P E C T ?

• A letter in the mail from the U.S. Census Bureau with an invitation to respond or• A letter in the mail from the U.S. Census Bureau AND a paper form

The letter will contain a unique 12 digit code or identifier to respond online. The 12 digit code is tied to your residence and is a way for the Census Bureau to automatically tie the response to the address. You do NOT need your unique code to respond to the census. The Census Bureau will use your address information to match it to your household.

Responding to the CensusThere are 3 ways to self respond to the census: by internet, by mail using a paper form, and by phone. Where you live will determine what type of mailing you will get.

W H Y A R E U R B A N A N D R U R A L A R E A S T R E A T E D D I F F E R E N T L Y ? Many households across Colorado do not have reliable mail service, internet connectivity, or have a high seasonal worker turnover, or a lot of communities use PO Boxes as a primary form of mail

collection.

If you live in a rural area including most Colorado mountain communities, the San Luis Valley and Eastern Plains, please note: The Census Bureau will NOT send letters, postcards or mail forms to PO Boxes.

W H A T S H O U L D I E X P E C T ? Depending on where you live:

• You may receive a letter in the mail encouraging you to go online, depending on your mail service or

• You may receive a letter encouraging you to go online in addition to a mail form or

• A Census Bureau worker may drop off and leave materials at your household from March 16th, 2020 - April 10th, 2020

W H A T S H O U L D I E X P E C T ? Depending on where you live:

• You may receive a letter in the mail encouraging you to go online, depending on your mail service or

• You may receive a letter encouraging you to go online in addition to a mail form or

• A Census Bureau worker may drop off and leave materials at your household to respond from March 16th, 2020 - April 10th, 2020

I F Y O U L I V E I N A R U R A L A R E A

I F Y O U L I V E O N A R E S E R V A T I O N I N C O L O R A D O

I T I S A N I N V I T A T I O N T O R E S P O N D You instigate filling out the form online, calling the Census Bureau or filling out the form and sending it back.

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Non-Response Follow Up PhaseIf a household does not fill out a census form by the end of April 2020, a worker from the Cen-

sus Bureau will visit households from May 13th - end of July to ensure a full count. The census is required by the Constitution, and it is in their mandate to count every single person.

The Census Bureau will be using real time data to update their household list. Meaning if you heard that Census Bureau workers were in or near your community and your household has not filled out the census form, filling it out will take you off their door knocking list.

Reminder - if you live in a rural area, a census worker may have already stopped by the household to drop off a census form.

H O W T O V E R I F Y A C E N S U S W O R K E R

Enumerators (also called door knockers or census takers) will be carrying a laptop, smartphone or tablet with a letter in English from the Census Bureau explaining why they are at the household. They will also have an ID badge that includes:

Census enumerators will only be at a household from 9AM - 9PM. Census enumerators will NEVER ask to enter a household and are only allowed to ask the questions on the form. They will never ask for bank or financial information, money or donation, PIN codes, passwords, Social Security number, citizenship status, driver’s license.

You can verify a census worker through looking up their name of the Census Bureau staff directory https://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/main/email.cgi

M I S I N F O R M A T I O N A N D D I S I N F O R M A T I O N

With the first digital census, we know that there will be uncertainty and fear with responding online. Some information is shared to protect our communities and some information is distributed with an intent to increase and heighten fear. We ask organizations to not publish disinformation or misinfor-mation on any social media platform, even if it is to debunk the rumor.

There are a few organizations working on rapid response to combat disinformation and ways you can report rumors.

Any potential disinformation can be sent to Together We Count at admin@togetherwecount.org.

National advocacy group Color of Change is also tracking false information. Submit at https://act.colorof-change.org/survey/hearing-info-census/

The Census Bureau also has a national email rumors@census.gov

• Name• Their photograph

• A Department of Commerce watermark• An expiration date

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Q U E S T I O N W H Y I S T H I S A S K E D ?

Address As the census is a national household count, it is imperative to tie the response to a household.

How many people live in the household?

This is our only chance for 10 years to ensure that we have an accurate count of where everyone is on April 1, 2020.

Do you own or rent your home?This question is the basis for the US and Colorado to assess its housing inventory. Data is also used to fund housing assistance programs and to

enforce fair housing laws.

NameRemember your personal information, including name, is secure.

Names are asked to ensure that everyone in the household is counted and for the Census Bureau to do internal verification.

Telephone Number A backstop in case a Census Bureau worker needs to contact you to clarify a response.

SexDisaggregated data used to ensure that government programs serve the

needs of specific genders, enforce laws and regulations including the Civil Rights Act.

Date of Birth/AgeMany census guided programs support specific populations such as Head Start supporting young children, Pell Grants supporting 18+, and Medicare

supporting Older Adults.

Hispanic Origin Data gathered used for government programs and policies to ensure fair allocation of services to Hispanic populations.

RaceTo ensure that federal, state and tribal programs are in compliance with

antidiscrimination laws, regulations and policies. Also used to meet legislative redistricting requirements.

RelationshipUsed to learn about families, family size to understand growing complex

households. For example if grandparents are raising grandchildren or single family households.

Questions on the 2020 Census FormIt is important that everyone answer all the questions. The order of the questions may be different from online to the paper form, but all the questions are the same.

Beyond counting traditional households, the Census Bureau also counts those living or staying in group quarters. People who live in group quarters “usually” reside there most of the year.

Group quarters include:

The Census Bureau with work with with Group Quarters staff, and gets the count they need through a number of different ways: Electronic Response Data Transfer (eResponse), Paper Response Data Collection, In-Person Inter-view, and Drop Off/Pick up of Questionnaire.

H O M E L E S S C O U N T

R A C E

G R O U P Q U A R T E R S

On the census form, there is the ability to check multiple boxes to correctly identify your race and ethnic identi-ty. If you see none that you identify as, there are write in options that allow up to 200 characters for race and hispanic origin.

W H Y I S H I S P A N I C O R I G I N A N D R A C E A S K E D ? The Census Bureau follows the 1997 Office of Management and Budget standards on race and ethnicity. There have been some calls from advocates to combine the two questions, but for the 2020 Census, they are separate questions. It is best to self-identify and write in and/or check off multiple boxes if necessary, in how everyone in your household identifies.

W H A T I S T H E D I F F E R E N C E B E T W E E N H I S P A N I C A N D L A T I N O ?

The Federal Government uses Hispanic, Latino and Spanish Origin interchangeably. They define someone of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish Origin as someone of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or

Central American or other Spanish culture descent.

Also called service-based enumeration, people experiencing homelessness who don’t live in a household will be counted on March 30th, 31st and April 1st. Most data collection will occur through a census enumerator conducting interviews. Other data will be collected at emergency or transitional shelters from the facility contact person.

• Group homes• Nursing facilities• Residential treatment facilities • Mental Hospitals• College campuses • Religious group living quarters

• Correctional facilities (Jails and Prisons) • In-patient hospice facilities• Workers' group living quarters• Job Corps centers • Vocational training facilities.• Military barracks

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T H E F O R M

W I L L C I T I Z E N S H I P B E A S K E D O N T H E C E N S U S ? The citizenship question will NOT be on the 2020 Census form.

H O W L O N G W I L L I T T A K E T O C O M P L E T E T H E F O R M ? There is no time limit. The Census Bureau estimates around 10 minutes. It is 10 questions, but we know that for people living in complicated households, it may take longer.

D O Y O U H A V E T O C O M P L E T E T H E C E N S U S O N L I N E I N O N E S I T T I N G ? Yes, for security reasons you need to complete the census in one sitting. C A N I S K I P Q U E S T I O N S ? Together We Count encourages households to answer all of the questions. The system will allow you to skip answering certain questions, with a verification that you would like to skip the ques-tion.

W I L L I E V E R B E E M A I L E D A F O R M ? No, you will never be emailed a form.

Frequently Asked Questions

W I L L A N Y C I T Y O R S T A T E G O V E R N M E N T B E A B L E T O S E E M Y R E S P O N S E ?

No, individual census responses can only be housed and kept within the Census Bureau.

W I L L T H E C E N S U S C O S T M E M O N E Y ? The census will NOT cost anyone any money. We want everyone to respond!

W H A T P E R S O N A L I N F O R M A T I O N D O E S T H E C E N S U S A S K ? The only personal question asked is name and phone number of everyone residing in the household.

C A N I U S E A N Y I N T E R N E T B R O W S E R T O F I L L O U T T H E C E N S U S ? Yes, all internet browsers, including ones on a smart phone, can access and fill out the census website.

W H A T I S T H E C E N S U S W E B S I T E ?

The official Census website is 2020census.gov.

S E C U R I T Y

H O U S E H O L D S

W H A T I F Y O U H A V E A C H I L D A N D 5 0 / 5 0 J O I N T C U S T O D Y ? A child will be counted where they stay the night of April 1st, 2020. D O E S O N E H O U S E = O N E H O U S E H O L D ? No, more than one household can occupy a single structure. W H O S H O U L D B E “ P E R S O N 1 ” ? It can be any adult member of the household. Typically it is the person who owns or rents the household.

W H A T I F M O R E T H A N O N E P E R S O N O W N S T H E H O M E ? Designate one homeowner as “Person 1”.

W H A T I F I O W N T H E H O M E B U T R E N T O U T A R O O M T O S O M E O N E E L S E ? If you are currently living in the house-hold, then typically the owner would be established as “Person 1” and everyone else living there regardless of familial relationship would be considered part of the household.

W H A T I F I ’ M N O T R E L A T -E D T O A N Y O N E I N T H E H O U S E H O L D ? If you don’t recieve mail at a separate address, you are a part of the main household. W H A T I F S O M E O N E D O E S N O T I D E N T I F Y A S M A L E O R F E M A L E ?

Like many current government sur-veys, there are only two options, male and female. 1 4

W H A T I F S O M E O N E L E F T M E O F F T H E F O R M ? You can fill out the form online or by phone using the “I don’t have a Census ID”. At the end of the census, the Census Bureau will fill in and combine information on the backend.

W H A T I F I M O V E A F T E R A P R I L 1 S T , 2 0 2 0 ? Each household is counted where they are April 1st, 2020. If you move after April 1st, you are still counted where you were living April 1st.

W H A T I F I H A V E A B A B Y B O R N A F T E R A P R I L 1 S T , 2 0 2 0 ? Babies born on or before April 1st are counted in the 2020 Census, those born after are not counted in the 2020 Census.

W H A T I F I L I V E A B R O A D B U T H A V E A H O M E I N T H E U S ? If you usually reside abroad most of the year, you are not counted in the 2020 Census.

W H A T I F I A M A S E R V I C E M E M B E R B U T L I V E O F F B A S E ?

If you or your family live off base they are counted with the rest of the population. If you live on the base you are counted by the base administrators.

W H A T I F I L I V E I N M O R E T H A N O N E P L A C E ?

You are counted at the place where you live and sleep most of the time. If that time cannot be determined, then at the place where you are staying on April 1, 2020.

W H A T I F I R E N T O U T A C O N V E R T E D G A R A G E , B U T T H E C I T Y O R C O U N T Y D O E S N ’ T K N O W A B O U T I T ?

The Census Bureau cannot share individual household data with any city or county. They would also be considered a household.

FAQC O N T I N U E D

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Glossary of TermsThis glossary is to help define

any census key terms as The 2020

Census is full of specific language

that isn’t used in everyday life.

Also many of the definitions may

seem slightly different as the

census is a count conducted by

the Federal Government, and they

have specific definitions, mainly

established by the Office of

Management and Budget.

A R E A C E N S U S O F F I C ECensus Bureau offices that house the managers, staff, materials and equipment needed to support the census employees. Colorado will have 4 lo-cations, Colorado North, Aurora, Colorado Springs and Denver. Households may receive mail from the Denver Regional Office 6950 West Jefferson Ave., Lakewood 80235.

A D M I N I S T R A T I V E R E C O R D SGovernment records that are collected by Federal or state agencies. The Census Bureau will use gov-ernment records to fill in any data that are needed to complete a partial response

A M E R I C A N C O M M U N I T Y S U R V E Y ( A C S ) A longer survey done yearly in between decennial census years to provide in depth information such as income, education attainment, migration, dis-ability, employment, housing characteristics etc. The decennial census is the basis for all ACS survey data. The ACS will continue through 2020.

C E N S U S B U R E A U Part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Mission is to serve as the nation’s leading provider of qual-ity data about its people and economy. Conducts the decennial census.

C O M P L E T E C O U N T C O M M I T T E E ( C C C )A volunteer committee of state and local govern-ment, tribal, or community organizations estab-lished to increase awareness about Census 2020 and to motivate residents in the community to

respond to the census.

D I S A G G R E G A T E D D A T AGathered data that can be broken down

into subcategories. For example, finding out how many people of

Hispanic Origin live in Summit County.

D E C E N N I A L C E N S U SAnother term used for the 2020 Census. Decennial = occuring every 10 years. The Census Bureau con-

ducts many surveys and other data collections in between the decennial years.

E N U M E R A T O RA Census Bureau employee who collects census information by visiting households May 31st – July 31st of 2020.

G E T O U T T H E C O U N T ( G O T C )A campaign to promote census responses.

G R O U P Q U A R T E R SA place where people live or stay in a group liv-ing arrangement that is owned or managed by an entity or organizations providing housing and/or services for residents. This includes colleges. H A R D - T O - C O U N T ( H T C )Groups or populations that are historically under-counted and/ or have not responded to the Census questionnaire.

H O U S E H O L DA group of people, related or unrelated that share a dwelling.

J E F F E R S O N V I L L E , I N D I A N ACensus Bureau’s National Processing Center 1201 East 10th St., Jeffersonville, IN. Mail forms may have this address on it.

N O N R E S P O N S EA household for which the Census Bureau does not have a completed questionnaire and from which the Census Bureau did not receive a telephone, mail or internet response.

N O N R E S P O N S E F O L L O W U P ( N R F U )Commonly referred to as “door knocking” phase of enumeration where Census Bureau officials go visit residences individually that did not fill out a form.

P A R T N E R S H I P S P E C I A L I S TA Census Bureau employee that works within communities to ensure a complete count. Primarily tasked with bringing on local partners and estab-lishing Complete Count Committees.

P R O X Y E N U M E R A T I O NProcess of using other sources of information to complete census profiles of households who have not responded in person. Including existing data sources, neighbors, landlords, etc.

R E A P P O R T I O N M E N T The process of dividing the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states based on decennial census population numbers.

R E G I O N A L C E N S U S O F F I C ESix permanent Census Bureau offices established to oversee different regions of the U.S. Colorado’s Regional Office is in Dallas, Texas.

S E L F - R E S P O N S E Where people respond to the 2020 Census through internet, phone and by mail. Primary self-response phase occurs from March 13th - April 30th, but can continue to self-respond through July 31, 2020.

T I T L E 1 3A law under which the Census Bureau operates. Provides protection for the information collected from the census for individuals and businesses and is never published. Census Bureau employees are sworn to protect confidentiality, violating the law is a serious federal crime.

T O G E T H E R W E C O U N TA 501c3 non-profit dedicated to ensuring that hard-to-count communities are counted across Colorado

U . S . C E N S U SMandated by the U.S. Constitution, the U.S. Census every 10 years conduct a population enumeration of residents in the U.S.

U . S . D E P A R T M E N T O F C O M M E R C EThe overarching agency is which the Census Bu-reau is housed

U P D A T E L E A V EFor mostly rural areas a Census Bureau worker will come to a housing unit and drop off a mail form.

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F O R 2 0 2 0 C E N S U S J O B S

https://2020census.gov/en/jobs.html

C B A M S R E P O R T

https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/program-management/final-analysis-reports/2020-report-cbams-focus-group.pdf

C E N S U S O P E R A T I O N S

https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/program-management/planning-docs/2020-oper-plan4.pdf

2 0 2 0 Q U E S T I O N S

https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/2020/operations/planned-questions-2020-acs.pdf

https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/technical-documentation/questionnaires-and-instructions/questionnaires/2020-informational-questionnaire.pdf

2 0 2 0 C E N S U S N A T I O N A L A D V I S O R Y C O M M I T T E E

https://www.census.gov/about/cac/nac/meetings/2019-11-meeting.html

A I / A N

https://www.census.gov/about/partners/cic/resources/data-links/aian.html

S E C U R I T Y

https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/factsheets/2019/com-m/2020-confidentiality-factsheet.pdf

https://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/2019-08/Report_Federal_Laws_Cen-sus_Confidentiality.pdf

https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-7-part-o-chapter-42 0

Sources

Notes

ContactF O R M O R E I N F O R M A T I O N

Visit: TogetherWeCount.org

F O R Q U E S T I O N S , C O N T A C TGillian@togetherwecount.org

Rosemary@togetherwecount.org