Head Count

It’s almost time for the 2020 decennial census, the head count taken by the United States government every ten years since 1790.

The official census date is scheduled for April 1. This year, people will be invited by mail to participate online. If you do not have access to the internet, you can use a toll-free phone number, or even a hard copy paper form to be counted.

A media blitz encouraging everyone to be counted will hit the airwaves in March. Libraries, colleges, and religious institutions with internet access are being asked to make computers accessible to people who cannot log on elsewhere so they can be counted.

Even though the count will be done electronically, people are an important part of the process. Currently, the Richmond Census division has hired only about 50 percent of the eleven thousand temporary employees it needs to complete its task. Competing with employers offering permanent employment has been a challenge, said Census representative Ron Brown.

He explained that all census employees take a lifetime oath in which they swear not to share any census information on penalty of a prison sentence and hefty fine. This year’s questions include name, date of birth—no social security numbers are involved—residence, gender, others in household. Providing accurate information is crucial, said Brown. In the 2010 census, more than one million children under the age of five were not counted. There is no question regarding citizenship, so all residents should be counted. Details are not shared with other agencies.

Participation is voluntary. There are no penalties for failing to be counted, but there are consequences to communities for undercounts. “For every person not counted, a community can forego two thousand dollars in federal funds,” said Brown. “This is money for schools, students who qualify for meal subsidies, road dollars and so forth.”

By law the aggregate of the count must be reported to the president by December 31, 2020. These numbers are used to determine apportionment, how many seats in the House of Representatives will be allotted to each state. Closer to home, the numbers are used to determine the districts of state and local representatives.

Go to https://2020census.gov/en/jobs.html for detailed information about available Census jobs and to apply. Passing a Homeland Security and FBI background check, including fingerprinting, is mandatory.  Census employees, who must be at least 18 years of age, will generally work where they live.

“We want people who are known in the community,” said Brown. College students and retirees are encouraged to apply. Census employees will be issued devices including smart phones and tablets to perform their tasks. They will work remotely but may have evening or weekend hours to enable them to interact with residents when they are home. Pay for Census jobs in Goochland County will start at $19 per hour. Work related expenses will be reimbursed. Training will be online, and interviews by phone.

Those that fail to respond online, by toll-free telephone, or hard copy, will be contacted by Census teams. Local law enforcement will be alerted when Census workers are in an area so residents can confirm that they are legitimate government employees.

The details of the 2020 census will not be released until 2092. The 72-year delay policy is intended to protect the privacy of the respondents. Past census records can be a treasure trove of information for genealogists, make sure your descendants can find out where you were in 2020.

Go to https://2020census.gov/en/about-questions.html to see the questions on the form.