What To Look For in the Mail
You may receive multiple mailings for the 2020 Census this year, including an invitation to respond to the 2020 Census and follow-up postcards and letters.
In mid-April, the Census Bureau began mailing the paper questionnaire to homes that have not yet responded online or by phone.
If you receive mail after you have already responded, you should disregard it; it was sent before we received your response.
Note: The Census Bureau will be conducting other surveys at the same time as the 2020 Census, so you may also receive other correspondence. If you have questions about another piece of mail you receive, visit Are You in a Survey?
Finding Your Census ID
When responding online to the 2020 Census, you will be prompted to enter your unique Census ID. This ID number can be found on the Census Bureau invitation to respond and additional reminder letters that you will receive in the mail. However, you can still respond online if you do not have this ID.
All 2020 Census IDs have 12 characters (letters and numbers).
Census Bureau Mailings
Invitation Letter
This is a sample of the invitation letter homes will receive inviting them to respond to the 2020 Census. Most areas of the country will be invited to respond online. Areas less likely to respond online will receive a paper questionnaire with their invitation, but can still choose to respond online.
Download PDF
Reminder Letters
These are samples of the reminder letters homes will receive if they do not respond to the Census. Most homes will receive paper questionnaires enclosed with their second reminder letter.
Reminder Postcards
This is a sample of the postcard homes will receive reminding them to respond to the 2020 Census. Those who choose not to respond online may wait for a paper questionnaire.
Download PDF
2020 Census Informational Bilingual Questionnaire
This is a sample of the paper questionnaire that will be used during the 2020 Census. This version excludes the URL and contact information.
Please note: You cannot use this sample form to respond to the 2020 Census.
Download PDF
Questionnaire - English / Spanish
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Business Reply Envelope - West
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Business Reply Envelope - East
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Final Reminder Postcard
This is a sample of the final postcard homes will receive reminding them to respond to the 2020 Census. Homes that do not respond online, by phone, or by mail may be followed up with in-person by a census taker.
Download PDF
English / Spanish
[< 1 MB]
You can choose to respond to the census online, by phone, or by mail. Click the button to respond online.
Frequently Asked Questions
I did not receive anything in the mail. How do I respond?
You can still respond online to the 2020 Census even if you did not receive a letter or paper questionnaire. Go to my2020census.gov. Select the link that says, "If you do not have a Census ID, click here." It is located below the Census ID login field. Visit Responding to the Census to learn more.
Do I need to keep this mail?
No, you do not need to keep the mailings after you have responded. You may also disregard reminder mailings, which may have been sent before you responded. However, the U.S. Census Bureau does conduct other annual household surveys that you may also receive mail for in the future.
Does the Census Bureau send mail to PO Boxes?
No, the Census Bureau cannot mail to P.O. Boxes because they cannot be matched to physical addresses. We need your physical address to count you at the place where you live. Only a complete street address will help us accurately count you in the right place. If you cannot receive mail at your home, a Census Bureau worker may deliver a questionnaire, leave information about responding, or interview you. You can respond now by phone or online at my2020census.gov.
I completed the Census already, why am I still receiving mail?
Thank you for responding. We send invitations and reminders through the mail. If you already responded, the reminder may have been sent before we received your response.
I got two letters in the mail, how do I know which ID to use?
The Census Bureau maintains an address list, compiled from various sources including the U.S. Postal Service. Sometimes this means we have the same address listed twice. In that case, we may send multiple mailings to the same residence. Check carefully to see if there are any differences at all in the spelling of the addresses. Please look for differences such as formatting or unit numbers.
Addresses are the same: Complete the interview for one of the Census IDs. You may continue to receive reminder letters with the other Census ID, but you may disregard them. A census field worker may visit you in the future to ensure we have an accurate accounting for all addresses.
Addresses are different: Complete the Census questionnaire using the Census ID on the mailer with the address that most closely resembles the address at which you live. Do not respond using the Census ID on the mailer with the incorrect address. You may continue to receive reminder letters for the incorrect address, but you may disregard them. A census field worker may visit you in the future to ensure we have an accurate accounting for all addresses.
How do I receive a paper form?
If you have not already responded to the 2020 Census online or by phone, you may receive a paper questionnaire. Paper questionnaires will be mailed in April.
Note, some remote areas may receive their paper questionnaires from Census Takers. However, 2020 Census field operations are currently delayed due to the evolving COVID-19 crisis. If you don't want to wait, you can respond online or by phone.
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