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2020 Census: What is the Census?
2020 Census: What is the Census?
¿Qué es el Censo?
What is the census?
The Census has been a cornerstone of our democracy since the first national count in 1790.
The count is mandated by the Constitution and conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, a nonpartisan government agency.
The 2020 Census counts the population in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands).
Each home will receive an invitation to respond to a short questionnaire—online, by phone, or by mail. This will mark the first time that you will be able to respond to the census online.
More About "What is the census"?
About the 2020 Census
As mandated by the U.S. Constitution, America gets just one chance each decade to count its population.
Read more about the 2020 Census.
Read more about the 2020 Census.
What Is the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census counts every person living in the 50 states, District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories.
Video
2020 Census Partners: Why the Census is Important for Our Kids
YouTube Channel
All video content created by the U.S. Census Bureau is available on our YouTube channel. Subscribe to get notifications when new content is uploaded and press the like button to share with other people.
More Videos
Video
Census Data for Everyone — Why it Should Matter to You
This Summit on “Census Bureau Data for Everyone” is a FREE Virtual Webinar. Learn about how your responses to Census Bureau surveys are used.
Video
Statistics in Schools — Bringing Census Bureau Data to Classrooms
This Summit on “Statistics in Schools” is a FREE Virtual Webinar which will teach data users how to explore the Statistics in Schools (SIS) Website.
Video
Census Geography: The View From Above
Video
Using the API to Get Results for Multiple Estimates
In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to get data for only the variables you need from the 2018 ACS 1-Year Data Profiles.
Video
data.census.gov Updates April 2021
Video
Taking America’s Pulse: The COVID-19 Pandemic
Page Last Revised - August 24, 2022
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