Thank you. This past year, millions of households responded to the 2020 Census, the once every decade population count that determines how many seats each state gets in the U.S. House of Representatives.
By the end of September, data on race, Hispanic origin, voting age, group quarters population, and housing occupancy status will be released. States use these data to redraw or “redistrict” their legislative boundaries. Results of the census also inform how hundreds of billions of dollars are allocated to important community services like health care, education, emergency response, and infrastructure for the next 10 years.
In addition to the decennial census, the Census Bureau also conducts more than 130 surveys and censuses every year to provide timely facts and figures about America’s people, places, and economy. Here’s a quick roundup of the ongoing surveys and statistics the Census Bureau provides:
- Economic Census: Serves as a foundation for the measurement of U.S. businesses and their economic impact. - Labor force statistics: Provide information about employment status, employment dynamics, and work experience. - The American Community Survey: Helps local officials, community leaders and businesses understand the changes occurring in their communities. - Small Business Pulse Survey: Measures the effect of changing business conditions during the Coronavirus pandemic, on our nation’s small businesses. - The Household Pulse Survey: In collaboration with multiple federal agencies, the Census Bureau collects real-time data on how people’s lives have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Data cover employment status, food security, housing, physical and mental health, access to health care, spending patterns, and educational disruption as well as other significant changes to American life. - Quick Facts: Data access tool that provides easy access to basic population, business, and geography statistics for all states and counties, and for cities and towns with more than 5,000 people. - Census Academy: Offering webinars, courses and resources for new and experienced data users. - Economic Indicators: The Census Bureau produces monthly and quarterly snapshots of key sectors within the U.S. economy.
You may receive an invitation in the mail, or even a text message, asking you to participate in one of these surveys. For example, the Household Pulse Survey texts people to ask questions about their household’s experience during the pandemic.
When you respond to Census Bureau surveys, you help the Census Bureau provide quality information about your community. Teachers and students, entrepreneurs, community service organizations, first responders, government agencies at the national, state, and local level, journalists, and statisticians all rely on these statistics to make key decisions. You can use them too; check out QuickFacts to learn more about America’s people, places and economy. Explore more Census Bureau data at data.census.gov and follow us on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter (@USCensusBureau).
