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Planning | Census 2020

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1. What is the census?

The 2020 Census counts every person living in the United States and the five U.S. territories.

2. Why should I complete the census?

Participating in the census is required by law, even if you recently completed another survey from the Census Bureau. A complete and accurate count is critical for you and your community, because the results of the 2020 Census will affect community funding, congressional representation, and more. As a result of the 2010 Census, the State of Texas received approximately $59B annually – equivalent to $1,548 per person per year over the decade.

3. How do I complete the census?

By April 1, 2020, every home will receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census. You will have three options for responding:

• Online.
• By phone.
• By mail.

The 2020 Census marks the first time you’ll have the option to respond online. You can even respond on your mobile device.

4. What will happen if I do not complete the census?

If you do not respond, the U.S. Census Bureau will follow up in person to collect your response.

5. How long will it take me to complete the census?

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that completing the census questionnaire will take 10 minutes on average.

6. Does the City have a completion goal percentage for the census?

The City is striving for 100% completion. For the 2010 census, 85% of the Sugar Land population completed the census. The goal is to surpass 85% completion rate for the 2020 census.

7. What effects would the under counting of residents have on the city?

The Census results help determine how billions of dollars in federal funding flow into states and communities, like Sugar Land, each year. The distribution of these dollars depends on the accuracy of the Census, including significant support for health care, housing, transportation, food and more. Being undercounted by even one percent in 2020 could result in a significant loss in federal funding for Texas — at least $300 million a year.*

The city of Sugar Land had an 85% response rate in the last census, resulting in a shortfall of 15% of households not counted.  

*Source: https://forabettertexas.org/images/2018_Census_Factsheet_CCC.pdf.

8. What impact does the census have on my community?

The results, collected once a decade, help determine how billions of dollars in federal funding flow into states and communities each year.

9. Should I be worried about privacy if I take the census?

The U.S. Census Bureau is bound by law to protect your answers and keep them strictly confidential. In fact, every employee takes an oath to protect your personal information for life. The Census Bureau is bound by Title 13 of the U.S. Code to keep your information confidential.

Under Title 13, the Census Bureau cannot release any identifiable information about you, your home, or your business, even to law enforcement agencies. The law ensures that your private data is protected and that your answers cannot be used against you by any government agency or court.

10. How will the information I provide be used?

Census data are widely and wisely used. Census data are used in many ways. Some examples include: 

• Distribution of more than $675 billion annually in federal funds back to tribal, state, and local governments.
• Redistricting of state legislative districts.
• Forecasting future transportation needs for all segments of the population.
• Determining areas eligible for housing assistance and rehabilitation loans.
• Assisting federal, tribal, state, and local governments in planning and implementing programs, services, and emergency response.
• Designing facilities for people with disabilities, the elderly, and children.

11. What if I am not a citizen?

All people residing in the United States on April 1, 2020 should be counted. This includes permanent residents as well as those who are here temporarily.

Citizens of foreign countries who are living in the United States, including members of the diplomatic community, should be counted at the U.S. residence where they live and sleep most of time. Citizens of foreign countries who are visiting the United States on vacation or business on April 1, 2020, should not be counted.

12. Who can see my information?

Your personal information is kept confidential. The Census Bureau is bound by federal law to protect your information, and your data is used only for statistical purposes.

Your responses are compiled with information from other homes to produce statistics, which never identify your home or any person in your home. Learn more about the Census Bureau protects your information here: https://2020census.gov/en/data-protection.html

13. Is the census this anonymous?

The answers you provide are used only to produce statistics. You are kept anonymous: The Census Bureau is not permitted to publicly release your responses in any way that could identify you or anyone else in your home.

14. How and when can I get access to the census data once the census is complete?

The U.S. Census Bureau will release data products to the public on it’s website www.census.gov once the census is complete (the data is typically released in phases, with the final data products most likely be released sometime between the years 2021-2023).

15. What if I have multiple properties?

The Census Act of 1790 established the concept of “usual residence” as the main principle in determining where people should be counted, and this concept has been followed in all subsequent censuses. “Usual residence” has been defined as the place where a person lives and sleeps most of the time. This place is not necessarily the same as the person’s voting residence or legal residence.

16. Who needs to be counted?

If you are filling out the census for your home, you should count everyone who is living there as of April 1, 2020. This includes anyone who is living and sleeping there most of the time.

17. I have a student in college or boarding school, where should they be counted?

• Boarding school students below the college level should be counted at the home of their parents or guardians. 
• College students who are living at home should be counted at their home address. 
• College students who live away from home should count themselves at the on- or off-campus residence where they live and sleep most of the time, even if they are home on April 1, 2020.
• U.S. college students who are living and attending college outside the United States are not counted in the census.
• Foreign students living and attending college in the United States should be counted at the on- or off-campus residence where they live and sleep most of the time.

18. If my child who is a student in college or boarding school has come home due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, where should they be counted?

Per the Census Bureau’s residence criteria, in most cases students living away from home at school should be counted at school, even if they are temporarily elsewhere due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. This means that even if a college or board student is home on Census Day, April 1, they should be counted according to the residence criteria, which states they should be counted where they live and sleep most of the time.

For more information about how the Census Bureau is adjusting operations to make sure college students are counted, visit https://www.2020census.gov/en/news-events/press-releases/modifying-2020-operations.html 

19. Do my children, stepchildren or other dependents need to be counted?

It is important to remember to count any children who are living with you. This includes:

• All children who live in your home, including grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and the children of friends.
• Children who split their time between homes, if they are living with you on April 1, 2020.
• Newborn babies, even those who are born on April 1, 2020, or who are still in the hospital on this date.

20. What is the Complete Count Committee (CCC)?

Complete Count Committees (CCC) are volunteer committees established by tribal, state, and local governments and community leaders or organizations to increase awareness and motivate residents to respond to the 2020 Census. CCCs serve as state and local “census ambassador” groups that play an integral part in ensuring a complete and accurate count of the community in the 2020 Census. Success of the census depends on community involvement at every level. The U.S. Census Bureau cannot conduct the 2020 Census alone.

21. What challenges face the Complete Count Committee in getting an accurate count?

Some of the challenges in getting an accurate count is making sure every resident in Sugar Land understands what the Census is and what it isn’t, and knows the importance of the Census, that it is safe and easy. In addition to non-native speakers, Sugar Land has a large population of foreign-born residents (35% according to the 2013-2017 American Community Survey). The Committee is attempting to overcome these obstacles by working with local faith-based and other community-based organizations. Additionally, the CCC will be translating some of the Census materials into other languages to help reach these groups. Our goal is to meet people where they are, including at community events and meetings, and to reach them through people they trust.

22. How can I help with the census effort and where can I learn more?

• You can share census content with your friends, family, and followers on social media.
• Add your voice to the groups already working to ensure a complete and accurate count in 2020. The City of Sugar Land has established a Complete Count Committees and partner organizations play a key role in raising awareness, answering questions, and encouraging community members to participate.

You can learn more about the 2020 Census by visiting 2020census.gov.

23. How will the U.S. Census Bureau contact me and how should I respond?

For the 2020 census, you may respond online, by mail, by phone or through an in-person interview. Starting on March 12, 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau will begin to contact households through a series of mailings:

March 12–20	Mailing 1	Letter with information to take survey online sent to a majority of people, while about 20% to 25% of the population (with specific demographic characteristics and lower internet connectivity) will receive a letter and paper survey.
March 16–24	Mailing 2	Letter to those who do not respond
March 26–April 3	Mailing 3	Reminder postcard to those who do not respond
April 8–16	Mailing 4	Letter and paper survey to those who do not respond
April 20–27	Mailing 5	“It’s not too late” postcard to those who do not respond
May	Non-response follow-up begins.	Census takers begin going door to door to households that have not yet responded.