CENSUS 2020
Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau conducts a constitutionally mandated count of each person living in the country and the five U.S. territories.
The count is utilized for distributing the number of U.S. Congressional seats by state, drawing of state legislative districts, and for funding federal programs, all of which impact our quality of life. An undercount in Texas could negatively affect where, or whether businesses choose to invest in Texas and impede the economic security of Texas families.
Complete the 2020 Census by September 30
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Your answers to the 2020 Census will impact funding decisions for the next 10 years for important local services in our communities, including:
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1% under in Texas = $300M loss in federal funds annually |
25% of Texans (6M+ people) live in hard-to-count areas |
30% of children under 5 (582K children) at risk of not being counted in this census |
Three Ways to Respond
You only need one questionnaire per household and it must be done by September 30, 2020.
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ONLINE Submit the Census online for the first time in history. |
You will receive a mailed form that you may complete and mail back. |
PHONE Call a Census Bureau enumerator at (844) 330-2020 to respond by phone. |
Where You Count
International/DACA Students
If you are a college student living away from your parents, you are the one who completes the census for everyone living with you in your off-campus college apartment or house.
If you don't live in a dorm, count yourself at your off-campus address- even if you go to your parent's home for the breaks. This includes international students.
Early College Dual-Credit Student Message
The communities hardest to count are apartment renters, immigrants, children ages 0 to five, and young adults ages 18 to 24. Ensure an accurate count is taken this year and make sure your family is counted in 2020.
Census FAQs
The 2020 Census counts every person living in the United States on April 1 — no matter where they are from, why they are here in the United States, and whether or not they are documented.
This includes temporary workers, international students, and workers on assignment from overseas.
Yes. The U.S. Census Bureau is bound by law to protect the privacy and confidentiality of everyone who responds to the census. These protections ensure the personal information you provide cannot be used against you in any way.
The Census Bureau combines your responses with other responses to produce statistical summaries. It is against the law for the Census Bureau to disclose or publish any identifiable information about an individual or household. The penalty for violating this law is severe: a fine of up to $250,000, imprisonment for up to five years, or both.
By law, your personal information cannot be used against you or against anyone else by any government agency or court — and it can't be accessed by the police department, DHS, ICE, FBI or CIA.
The Census Bureau encrypts all responses submitted online and stored securely.
Yes. You can respond online in English or in 12 additional languages: Spanish, Chinese (Simplified), Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Tagalog, Polish, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Japanese.
The online questionnaire conforms with the latest web accessibility guidelines. There will also be a video in American Sign Language to guide you through responding online.
It is also available over the phone in those same languages. You can respond by phone in English, Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Tagalog, Polish, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Japanese.
The paper form can be completed in English or Spanish.
All Census Bureau workers carry official government badges. You can also call your local regional office for verification. Find regional offices' phone numbers on our Regional Census Center page.