The Census is announcing updates to their plan that will include enumerator awards and the hiring of more employees to accelerate the completion of data collection and apportionment counts by their statutory deadline of December 31, 2020, as required by law and directed by the Secretary of Commerce.
The Census Bureau’s new plan reflects their commitment to conduct a complete count, provide accurate apportionment data, and protect the health and safety of the public and our workforce.
Complete Count: A robust field data collection operation will ensure we receive responses from households that have not yet self-responded to the 2020 Census.
• As part of the revised plan, workers will conduct additional training sessions and provide awards to enumerators in recognition of those who maximize hours worked. They will also keep phone and tablet computer devices for enumeration in use for the maximum time possible.
• The Census will end field data collection by September 30, 2020. Self-response options will also close on that date to permit the commencement of data processing. Under this plan, the Census Bureau intends to meet a similar level of household responses as collected in prior censuses, including outreach to hard-to-count communities.
• Accurate Data and Efficient Processing: Once they have the data from self-response and field data collection in their secure systems, the Census Bureau plans to review it for completeness and accuracy, streamline its processing, and prioritize apportionment counts to meet the statutory deadline. In addition, the census offices plan to increase their staff to ensure operations are running at full capacity.
• Flexible Design: The Census Bureau operation remains adaptable and additional resources will help speed their work. The Census Bureau will continue to analyze data and key metrics from its field work to ensure operations are agile and on target for meeting the statutory delivery dates. Of course, the Census Bureau recognizes that events can still occur that no one can control, such as additional complications from severe weather or other natural disasters.
• Health and Safety: The Census Bureau will continue to prioritize the health and safety of their workforce and the public. The census staff will continue to follow Federal, state, and local guidance, including providing appropriate safety trainings and personal protective equipment to field staff.
The Census Bureau continues its work on meeting the requirements of Executive Order 13880 issued July 11, 2019 and the Presidential Memorandum issued July 21, 2020. A team of experts are examining methodologies and options to be employed for this purpose. The collection and use of pertinent administrative data continues.
The bureau reports they are committed to a complete and accurate 2020 Census.
To date, 93 million households, nearly 63 percent of all households in the Nation, have responded to the 2020 Census. Building on their successful and innovative internet response option, the dedicated women and men of the Census Bureau, including their temporary workforce deploying in communities across the country in upcoming weeks, will work diligently to achieve an accurate count.
If you know someone who has not yet responded, encourage them to do so today online at 2020census.gov, over the phone, or by mail.
