What To Look For in the Mail
You may receive multiple mailings from the Census Bureau in March and April this year, including an invitation to respond to the 2020 Census and follow-up postcards and letters. Please note: If you receive mail after you have already responded, you should disregard it; it was sent before we received your response.
If you do not respond online or by phone, you may also receive a paper questionnaire.
Note: The Census Bureau will be conducting other surveys at the same time as the 2020 Census, so you may receive additional 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 acts like a PIN and can be found on the Census Bureau invitation to respond.
All 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.
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Language Assistance Sheet
[1.2 MB]
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.
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Reminder Postcard
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.
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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.
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Questionnaire - English/Spanish
[< 1 MB]
Business Reply Envelope - West
[< 1 MB]
Business Reply Envelope - East
[< 1 MB]
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
How do I receive a paper form?
In mid-March, the Census Bureau began inviting homes to respond online to the 2020 Census. If you do not respond online or by phone, you may receive a paper questionnaire. Paper questionnaires will be mailed in early April.
Will I receive a paper form in the mail?
- In areas with low internet access, the Census Bureau will mail a paper questionnaire to homes.
- For areas with non-city-style addresses, such as rural route numbers, a census taker will deliver a paper questionnaire to homes in person.
- For areas that are more remote, a census taker will be sent to collect responses in person.
You will have the option to respond online, by phone, or by mail. Initially, most homes will receive a letter between March 12-20 inviting them to go online and complete their census form. If you do not respond online or by phone, you may also receive a paper questionnaire in the mail.
Learn more about Responding by Mail.
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.
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.
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.
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