Census 2020
The U.S. Constitution requires a census every 10 years to count every resident in the United States. Completing the census is a vital part of our democracy and civic duty. The distribution of more than $675 billion in federal funds, grants and support to states, counties, and communities are based on census data. Over a 10-year period, an estimated $18,250 is lost in funding per person for each person who does not complete their Census survey.
- Completing the census is safe, easy, and important.
- College students are considered a hard-to-reach and undercounted population. For the census, U.S. college students and foreign students living and attending college in the United States should count themselves at their on- or off-campus residence.
Why It Matters
Our Future
Your response determines funding and representation for your community.
Community Funding
College Park loses more than $18,250 in federal funding over a 10-year period for each person who does not fill out their Census survey.
The census impacts federal funding that goes towards critical higher education programs such as:
- School safety
- Federal Pell Grants
- Adult education grants
- Agriculture, science, and engineering education
- Student wellness programs
- The Medical Assistance Program
- Community mental health services
Services
Ensuring services for Prince George’s County residents in the future requires that we work to obtain an accurate Census count.
Representation
Completing the Census will ensure that Prince George’s County receives proper political representation at the state and federal levels.
Recruitment
Join the 2020 Census team and be a Census Taker in your community. Census jobs offer weekly pay, flexible hours and a competitive rate of $21 an hour. By becoming a Census Taker, you can support our community while getting paid to do it.
Apply online at www.2020census.gov/jobs
How You Can Help
Filling out the Census
A joint effort is required to obtain an accurate census count. Support a fair and accurate 2020 Census by completing your census form and advocating for others to complete the form.
Frequently Asked Questions
The U.S. Census is a national population count that occurs every 10 years. This information is used by the federal government to allocate resources across the country.
In 2010, Prince George’s County had the largest undercount of any county in Maryland. Data from the census provides the basis for annually distributing more than $675 billion in federal funds which helps fund our roads, schools, hospitals, Medicaid, and many other programs.
The census will collect basic information about the people living in your household. The Census Bureau will never ask for social security numbers, bank or credit card account numbers, money, donations, or anything on behalf of a political party.
All U.S. residents, including Non-U.S. citizens, should complete the census. No question of citizenship will be asked on the census and information cannot be accessed by any law enforcement agency, including DHS, ICE, FBI, or any other organization.
The Census Bureau is preceding to count students for their on- or off-campus residences, NOT at whatever residence they've relocated to because of remote learning. Students should still be completing the Census for their local, off-campus address. The reason for this is that under normal circumstances, the campus community is where they would be living and sleeping most of the time. Even if you do not have your address specific Census ID which was mailed in March, you can still complete the Census through self-response online by selecting the "If you do not have a Census ID, click here" link on the Address Verification/Log In screen.
For the census, U.S. college students and foreign students living and attending college in the United States should count themselves at their on- or off-campus residence.
Any students residing in rental houses, renting individual rooms in a home in College Park, or living in campus dorms—they should all be counted in College Park!
Every household will have the option of responding online, by mail, or by phone. For students that live in on-campus student housing like residence halls, off-campus residence halls, or other student housing facilities that are owned, leased, or managed by UMD will be counted as “group quarters,” enumeration will facilitated through U.S. Census Bureau employees working with representatives from the university to ensure they are counted. Some may be asked to complete an individual census form.
Most households will receive a letter asking you to go online to complete the census questionnaire in March 2020. The 2020 Census will include two phases: self-response and non-response follow-up. You can complete the census online, by phone, or by mail. You can respond in 13 different languages via phone or online.
In March 2020, residents will receive an invitation in the mail to respond online or a letter along with a paper questionnaire. Every household will have the option of responding online, by mail, or by phone. April 1, 2020 is Census Day—Residents are encouraged to respond to the Census on this day. Reminders and follow-up will be sent through March and April. Non-response follow-up will begin in May. Census responses are accepted until August 14.
Personal information is kept confidential by law, and personal data is kept secure. All Census responses are protected under Title 13 of the U.S. Code. Under this law, the Census Bureau is required to keep respondent information confidential. The Bureau is prohibited from sharing respondents’ personal information with immigration enforcement agencies, like ICE, or law enforcement agencies, like the FBI or police.
Completing the census should take no more than 10 minutes.
The Census Bureau encourages residents to complete one form per household to the best of your ability. However, if two families live in one dwelling and complete two separate forms under the same address, the U.S. Census Bureau will merge those surveys. No individual will be omitted.
In 2020, the paper form will be available in English and Spanish. People may respond to the Census online and by phone in 13 languages (English, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Arabic, French, Haitian Creole, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, and Tagalog).
The Census Bureau will also have a language guide for 59 languages.
