2020 Census invitations set to arrive in March

Between March 12 and March 20, invitations to participate in the 2020 Census will start arriving in households across the country.

This invitation will include instructions on how to respond to the 2020 Census online or by phone. By April 1, most households will have received an invitation delivered either by mail or by a census taker.

In areas of the country that are less likely to respond online, a paper questionnaire will be included in the initial mailing to households. Reminder mailings will be sent to households that do not respond, and in the fourth mailing every household that has not yet responded will receive a paper questionnaire.

Once your household receives an invitation, please respond to the 2020 Census by using the provided Census ID. If a household is unable to enter the Census ID, people can still respond by providing an address. Whether people respond online, by phone or by mail, it is important to respond right away.

Below is a timeline of how and when the Census Bureau will invite households to complete the 2020 Census questionnaire:

• March 12-20: Initial invitations to respond online and by phone will be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. Areas that are less likely to respond online will receive a paper questionnaire along with the invitation to respond online or over the phone.
• March 16-24: Reminder letters will be delivered.
• March 26-April 3: Reminder postcards will be delivered to households that have not responded.
• April 8-16: Reminder letters and paper questionnaires will be delivered to remaining households that have not responded.
• April 20-27: Final reminder postcards will be delivered to households that have not yet responded before census takers follow up in person.

If a household does not respond to any of the invitations, a census taker will follow up in person sometime between May 13 and July 31.