2020 Census Official Forms Start Arriving in Mailboxes

The 2020 U.S. Census count begins tomorrow.

Between Thursday, March 12 and Friday, March 20, Connecticut residents can expect to receive a Census notification in the mail. The official Census Bureau invitation, to be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, will include detailed information on how to respond to the 2020 Census. Individuals responding submit one census form listing everyone who lives in their household.

Households throughout the state should be aware that, as they receive their mail in the coming days, the official invitation is to be expected. Although the day of the official nationwide count is April 1, residents will receive notification beginning tomorrow, and can provide the required information prior to April 1. Households are encouraged to respond when they receive their invitation. In areas where 20 percent or more of the households speak Spanish, the invitations will be in both English and Spanish.

“It is important for Connecticut residents to know that mailing starts this week and if they are uncertain about whether it is official correspondence they should call the Census Bureau at (800) 923-8282 or they could go to www.2020census.gov to see images of the envelopes and mailings,” said Michelle Riordan-Nold, Executive Director of the Connecticut Data Collaborative, the lead organization for the State of Connecticut in the U.S. Census Bureau’s State Data Center Program. “Responding online, by phone or my mail should take only about 10 minutes, and will have an impact on families, neighborhoods, communities and our state for the next decade.”

Census Day is April 1, which means that everyone answering the Census should do so reflecting their residence on April 1, 2020. 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 fill out the 2020 Census form.

For the first time since the decennial census began in 1790, there are now three ways to respond: online, by phone, or by mail. It is the first time that the Census questionnaire can be answered online or by phone. The letter being sent out indicates that “The Census Bureau is using the internet to securely collect your information.” The Census Bureau estimates that completing the questionnaire will take 10 minutes on average. The 2020 Census online form is compatible with all Android and Apple smartphone browsers. Knowing the household’s 12-digit census ID, which is included in the invitation letter from the Census, will be helpful for responding online,

by phone, and in the mail. To respond by phone, individuals should contact (844) 330-2020. For those who do not respond in any method, a follow-up letter will be sent between March 16 and March 24.

Those who have yet to respond will continue to receive notifications urging them to respond, as is required by law. Individuals should expect to receive: a reminder postcard between March 26 and April 3, a reminder letter and paper questionnaire between April 8 and April 16, and a final reminder postcard between April 20 and April 27. If there has not been an online, phone or mail response to any of the Census inquiries, a census taker from the local community will follow-up in person in May, June or July to provide assistance.

The online 2020 Census questionnaire will be available in 13 languages (Arabic, Chinese [Simplified], English, French, Haitian Creole, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese). The Census Bureau has language guides in 59 non-English languages, to assist in filling out the form in English.

Connecticut has formed a statewide Complete Count Committee to coordinate state efforts for the 2020 Census, and more than 100 municipalities and other organizations have formed local committees. The state’s website is www.ct.gov/census. In addition, nonprofit agencies in Connecticut and community foundations across the state are supporting and assisting efforts to achieve a complete count. The Connecticut Community Nonprofit Alliance, Connecticut Council for Philanthropy and Connecticut Data Collaborative conducted a series of workshops earlier this year. Public libraries are also available to offer information and assistance.

State officials point out that Connecticut receives $10.7 billion annually in federal funding in areas including roads, schools, public works, and vital assistance programs. Many of these federal funding formulas rely on the Census data to apportion the funds.

Responses are used only to produce statistics. The Census Bureau does not disclose any personal information. It is against the law for any Census Bureau employee to disclose or publish any census information that identifies an individual. Census Bureau employees take a lifelong pledge of confidentiality to handle data responsibly and keep respondents’ information private. No law enforcement agency (not the DHS, ICE, FBI, or CIA) can access or use personal information at any time.

Additional information about the 2020 Census is available at www.2020census.gov General questions can also be addressed on the U.S. Census Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, or by calling 301-763-INFO (4636) or 800-923-8282.