Don’t forget to complete the 2020 Census!

Haven’t gotten around to completing the 2020 Census yet? If you did not receive materials in the mail with instructions to complete the 2020 Census, you can follow the link below, which provides comprehensive instructions to complete the process:

Start questionnaire

On March 12th, the United States Census Bureau began issuing questionnaires in the mail to homes across the United States for residents to complete the 2020 Census. The very next day, Governor Phil Scott declared a state of emergency in Vermont due to the coronavirus pandemic and as of May 12th, only 49.7% of Vermont households have responded to the questionnaire, compared to a nationwide rate of 58.6%.

View real-time updates of the U.S. Census response rates.

The circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic have caused the already-complicated process of gathering data for the Decennial Census to become much more complex and multi-faceted. 

Normally, Census workers are deployed to go door-to-door in their communities to help ensure that populations such as nursing homes residents are able to be counted, in addition to other populations who do not have access to completing the Census questionnaire online. With stay-at-home orders in place, Census workers are not able to provide this crucial in-person service to community members who cannot complete this process independently. 

Vermonters lives are stressful and uncertain in many ways right now, and it is understandable that present circumstances make it difficult for residents to prioritize filling out the Census. That being said, gathering accurate Census data is vital to ensuring that our state receives the federal funding needed to support Vermonters and the state’s economy following this period of decline. In addition, counts of households resulting from the 2020 Census will be used to make impactful decisions for the next 10 years.