The U.S. Census Bureau is following up with households in Georgia that have not yet responded to the 2020 Census on their own online, by phone, or by mail. Hundreds of thousands of census takers across the country began going door-to-door earlier this month to assist people in responding to the 2020 Census. With a current national self-response rate of 64%, the Census Bureau estimates it will need to visit about 56 million addresses to collect responses in person.

The Census Bureau goes to great lengths to count everyone:

  • Census takers will visit a home up to six times to obtain a response.
  • Census takers will conduct phone calls to supplement the door-to-door operation and increase the ability to reach all communities.
  • Increasing work hours and offering competitive pay. Census Field Supervisors who exceed 32 hours or more per week between Aug. 9 and Aug. 29 will earn a $750 award.
  • The Census Bureau will set up Mobile Questionnaire Assistance sites at high-trafficked areas like grocery stores and libraries to help count households in the lowest-responding areas of the nation.
  • The Census Bureau is mailing an additional paper census questionnaire to some households that haven’t responded yet in low-responding areas.

Before entering the field, census takers complete training on social distancing and safety protocols. They will follow public health guidelines and are required to wear a face mask when conducting home visits.  They can be easily identified by a valid government ID badge with their photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date on the badge. However, the Census Bureau continues to encourage people to respond to the 2020 Census on their own to avoid a visit from a census taker.

More than $675 billion in federal funds will be allocated to communities across the country every year for the next decade. Communities that are undercounted risk missing out on support for an array of critical programs and services, including housing, transportation, health care, education, and emergency response.

Other COVID-19 related operational changes include follow-up phone calls, more paper questionnaires mailed out, and emails to low-responding areas. You can respond to the 2020 Census online, over the phone, or by mail. For more information, please visit 2020census.gov or call 844-330-2020.