Census workers to visit households in person

To date, 63.3% of Americans nationwide have self-reported for the 2020 census. Colorado's rate is above the national number at 66.9% of residents self-reporting. Boulder County has had 74.5% of residents self-report.

The Census Bureau has started reaching out to households in census block groups with low response rates; it expects to email more than 20 million households. These emails will come from [email protected]. Just as with in-person visits, it's important for residents to be aware of potential scams and combat them by verifying credibility. People who wish to call in to respond via phone have the ability to respond in English and 12 other non-English Languages. Online at 2020census.govhas webpage assistance available in English as well as 59 non-English languages.

The bureau will also now begin visiting non-responding households in person. If and when census workers come to a house, the bureau has encouraged the public to check for a valid ID badge, saying that if there is doubt, citizens may contact Census Bureau representatives at 972-510-1800. The bureau has established protocols for if a household is either absent or unable to speak with a particular census taker.

If a census taker visits, but there is a language barrier, people are encouraged to request a visit from a new census taker. Additionally, if no one is home, the census taker is to leave notice of the visit and information about how to respond on their own.

It's important to note that the Census Bureau and the CDC have come out with a joint-statement explaining their collaboration in light of COVID. All census takers have to complete a virtual COVID training about social distancing and other safety measures before being deployed into the public.They are to wear face masks, maintain social distance of 6 feet (2 m) and conduct interviews outside of the home.

"We are taking steps and adapting our operations to make sure everyone is counted, while keeping everyone safe," said Census Bureau Director Dr. Steven Dillingham.

These in-person visits are scheduled to start Aug. 11 and go through Oct. 31 so as to count everyone living in the United States as of Census Day, which was April 1, 2020. In addition to email and mail reminders, the bureau has launched a Mobile Questionnaire Assistance program and launched a new series of advertisements.

To self-respond to the census, you may do so online at 2020census.gov, by phone at 844-330-2020 or by mail. Stay up to date with overall response rates here: Response Rates.