What you need to know about the 2020 Census

We’re about 6 months out from Coachella Valley households receiving notifications to respond to the 2020 census, and preparations are already well underway.

The census is a once-a-decade chance to take count of every resident in the nation, a massive undertaking. It’s up the Census Bureau to accurately tally about 330 million people, building an address list of every housing unit, maximize self-responses, and follow up with non-responders.

The count determins how $675 billion in federal funding will be spent. That’s money that pays for public services and infrastructure.

The questionnaire notably excludes a citizenship question after the Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration from adding one.

Patricia Ramos, a spokesperson for the U.S. Census Bureau, emphasized the information collected is federally protected and confidential.

“Other agencies who request our information will not have access to that information,” Ramos said. “It is not shared.”

In addition to responding by mail or phone, for the first time next year, you can respond to the census online. A whole host of new data cybersecurity measures in place.

“It’s not something that the US census has taken very lightly,” Ramos said. “They’ve actually been working on this major step forward to modernize for many years now.”

Even though we’re still a few months out, you may have already seen census workers in your neighborhood.

To avoid fraud and scams, look for employee’s official government photo ID badge.

To identify a Census Bureau representative: click here.

Census employees will never ask for your social security number or bank information.