Important Census 2020 Dates
- March 12 – 20 - Households will begin receiving an official Census Bureau letter with their GEOCODE attached. The letter will have detailed information on how to respond to the Census online (the preferred method), by phone or by mail with the original mailed application. No additional paper applications will be available through the website.
- March 30 – April 1 - If someone has not responded, a follow-up reminder will be sent to them during this time period. They can still self-respond online, by phone or by mail.
- April 1 - Census Day! By this date, every home in the United States will have received a letter with a GEOCODE and invitation to participate in the 2020 Census.
- April - Census takers will begin visiting group living situations such as students who live on campus, people living in senior centers and others who live among large
groups of people. - May-July - Census takers will go door to door to visit homes that have not responded to the 2020 Census.
2020 Census
In 2020, the United States Census will be conducted primarily online for the first time. The results will allocate billions of dollars in federal funding to local communities over the next decade, including more than $1 billion to libraries. Census data also determine representation in Congress and state and local governments and are widely used by researchers, business, and other organizations (including to plan for library services).
Resources
- American Library Association (2020 Census page) - http://www.ala.org/advocacy/govinfo/census
- Kansas Counts - 2020 Census - www.kansascounts.org (this is a great resource for libraries to find and share their local count with their patrons)
- Kansas State Data Center - https://ipsr.ku.edu/ksdata/
census/2020/ - Kansas State Library Census 2020 & Libraries - https://kslib.info/1427/Census-2020
- Census Outreach and Promotional Materials - https://kansascounts.org/government-resources/census-resources/
- United States Census Bureau - 2020 Census - www.2020census.gov
- Mid-America Regional Council - www.census2020kc.org
- Video Tutorial Preview of the 2020 Census Video Language Guide
How are other libraries presenting the 2020 census to their patrons?
Need an example? Check out how the Emporia Public Library (Emporia, KS) is promoting the 2020 Census with their patrons.
