The 2020 Census asks a few simple questions about you and everyone who was living with you on April 1, 2020.

Please complete your form online, by phone, or by mail when your invitation to respond arrives. Visit my2020census.gov to begin.

Find out more about each of these methods below:

• How to Respond Online
• How to Respond by Phone
• How to Respond by Mail

Please note that if you are responding online, you must complete the census in one sitting, as you don't have the ability to save your progress. You can see the questions the census asked.  

Even if you did not receive an invitation to respond from the Census Bureau, you may respond online or visit our Contact Us page to call our phone line.

The Census Bureau began mailing paper questionnaires in mid-April to homes that had not yet responded. If you have not already responded, please complete and mail back your form as soon as you receive it. And if you prefer, you still have the option of responding online or by phone instead.

Who Should Respond

The 2020 Census counts everyone living in the United States and its five territories (Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands).

One person should respond for each home. That person must be at least 15 years old. They should live in the home or place of residence themselves and know general information about each person living there. (For more information, visit Questions Asked.) 

Everyone Counts

The Census Bureau has specific operations and processes in place to count everyone, including those in group living situations such as college dorms, nursing homes, military barracks, and prisons. (Learn More). 

Who Should Be Counted and Where?

You should be counted where you were living and sleeping most of the time as of April 1, 2020. If you are responding for your home, count everyone who was living and sleeping there most of the time as of April 1, 2020. This includes young children, foster children, roommates, and any family members or friends who are living with you, even temporarily.

Please note that if someone was staying with you temporarily on April 1 due to the COVID-19 situation, they should be counted where they usually live. This includes college students, who should still be counted at school, even if they are home early because of the COVID-19 situation. If they live in student housing, the college will count them. If they live off campus, they should complete the census for their off-campus address and include any roommates or other people living there.

If someone is staying with you on April 1 who doesn’t have a usual home elsewhere, please include them in your response.

People in some living situations—including students, service members, and people in health care facilities—may have questions about how to respond or where they should count themselves. You may also have questions if you recently moved, have multiple residences, or have no permanent address.

For more information, please visit Who to Count.

Language Support

You can complete the census online or by phone in 13 different languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Tagalog, Polish, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Japanese.

In addition, bilingual invitations and paper questionnaires in English and Spanish will be sent to select areas of the country.

To help you respond, the Census Bureau also offers webpages and guides in 59 non-English languages, including American Sign Language, as well as guides in Braille and large print. Visit Language Support to learn more.