The national census is very important to our democracy. Every 10 years the federal government is required to count all people living in the United States. Every person counts, regardless of age, immigration status, or criminal history. This count is used to make sure that everyone is fairly represented in government and funding is distributed equitably. The information gathered is also used by businesses, schools, community groups and government agencies to make decisions about services they provide.
The next census will be in April 2020. We all need to reach out to neighbors, friends, family, and people we work with to make sure EVERYONE understands what the census is, why it's important, and how they can participate. This online toolkit has resources to help you prepare, plan, implement, and track census outreach.
| STEP 1: Understand Census Basics |
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| Census 2020 Overview Presentation (narrated video) |
| Census 2020: Timeline |
| (revised July 2019) |
| STEP 2: Get Comfortable Talking About the Census |
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| (updated Feb 2020) |
| STEP 3: Prepare to Engage Community Members About Census |
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| STEP 4: Planning and Tracking Census Outreach |
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| Census Outreach Brainstorm Worksheet (Microsoft Word .doc) |
| Census Outreach Planning & Tracking Grids (Microsoft Word .doc) |
| Other Helfpul Resources |
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You can find and request outreach materials in different languages here: