UPDATED Census 2020: Overall Timeline
Updated March 22 to reflect 2020 Census Operational Adjustments Due to COVID-19.
[Censo 2020: cronograma general]Important Dates
- March 12 – 20, 2020: Household will begin receiving official Census Bureau mail with detailed information on how to respond to the 2020 Census online, by phone, or by mail.
- March 16-24: A reminder letter.
- March 26 – April 3: A reminder postcard.
- March 30 – April 1: The Census Bureau will count people who are experiencing homelessness over these three days. As part of this process, the Census Bureau counts people in shelters, at soup kitchens and mobile food vans, on the streets, and at non-sheltered, outdoor locations such as tent encampments.
- April 1: Census Day is observed nationwide. Once the invitation arrives, you should respond for your home in one of three ways: online, by phone, or by mail. When you respond to the census, you’ll tell the Census Bureau where you live as of April 1, 2020.
- April 8-16: A reminder letter and paper questionnaire.
- April: Census takers will begin visiting college students who live on campus, people living in senior centers, and others who live among large groups of people. Census takers will also begin following up with households that have not yet responded in areas that include off-campus housing, where residents are not counted in groups.
- April 13 – August 14: Census Bureau staff will assist people with responding online at places such as grocery stores and community centers.
- April 20 – 27: A final reminder postcard before receiving a follow-up in person.
- May 1: Census counts people experiencing homelessness outdoors.
- May 28 – August 14: Census takers will begin visiting homes that haven’t responded to the 2020 Census to help make sure everyone is counted.
- December 31: The Census Bureau will deliver apportionment counts to the President and Congress as required by law.
- March 31, 2021: By this date, the Census Bureau will send redistricting counts to states. This information is used to redraw legislative districts based on population changes.
Here are some of the efforts completed in 2019:
- January – September: The Census Bureau opened more than 200 area census offices across the country. These offices support and manage the census takers who work all over the country to conduct the census.
- August – October: Census takers visited areas that have experienced a lot of change and growth to ensure that the Census Bureau’s address list is up to date. This process is called address canvassing, and it helps to ensure that everyone receives an invitation to participate in the census.
Just a reminder:
Everyone living in the 50 states, District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) is required by law to be counted in the 2020 Census.
Visit 2020census.gov/for more information.
