Innovations for the 

2020 Census

Interim Report

February 12, 2020

Innovations for the 2020 Census i U.S. Census Bureau

Innovations for the 

2020 Census

Executive Summary. 

Innovations for a 21st Century Census . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Chapter 1. 

History and Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

The Importance of the Census . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Technological Innovation and the Decennial Census . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

What it Takes to Get it Done . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Chapter 2. 

Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Planning for a 21st Century Census . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Establishing Where to Count . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Responding to the Census . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Leveraging Administrative Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Reengineering Field Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Improved Information Technology (IT) Systems, Including Mobile Computing, 

Cloud Infrastructure, and Enterprise IT Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Chapter 3. 

Outreach, Communication, and Partnership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

The 2020 Census Advertising and Communications Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Innovations for the 2020 Census Surrounding Digital Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

2020 Census Innovation: A Bigger Digital Presence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

A Bigger, Better, and More Targeted Partnership Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

2020 Census Innovation: Wider Outreach in Schools and Communities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

The Higher Education Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Complex Households and the Undercount of Young Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Chapter 4. 

Protecting the Census: IT Systems, Business Processes, and Data Confidentiality . . . . . . . 51

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Innovations for the 2020 Census 1 U.S. Census Bureau

Executive Summary.

Innovations for a 21st Century Census

The 2020 Census has incorporated many innovations to promote greater participation across the 

nation, streamline data collection procedures, and 

ensure the security of the data collected . These 

innovations are prevalent throughout the census 

cycle and are intended to improve the national 

address roster, marketing, ease of self-response, 

field management of nonresponse followup, and 

completeness of the final data set . The 2020 

Census is utilizing Web-based technology to 

enhance self-response rates, participation among 

the traditionally undercounted, and manage the 

vast field operations of nearly 500,000 staff . 

Identifying where to count . Using the geospatial 

technology of aerial photography and Geographic 

Information Systems, the Census Bureau’s Master 

Address File (MAF) is the most complete list of 

residential locations ever assembled . This tool helps 

the U .S . Census Bureau more efficiently reach all 

households across the nation . 

Motivating people to participate . The 2020 Census 

employs state-of-the-art marketing tools to target 

multicultural audiences throughout the country . 

Data analytics will be used to carefully monitor 

self-response rates to identify areas for additional 

marketing attention, application of mobile response 

units, and other follow-up activities . 

Facilitating self-response . The introduction of 

Internet and telephone alternatives will greatly 

enhance people’s ability to respond to the 2020 

Census . Respondents will also continue to have 

the choice to respond using the traditional paper 

version of the questionnaire . 
2 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

Streamlining nonresponse followup . The oversight 

and management of hundreds of thousands of 

field enumerators that contact households that do 

not self-respond is a challenging undertaking . The 

Census Bureau has employed a series of electronic 

technologies to facilitate an efficient system to hire, 

train, communicate with, and manage this large 

workforce . New software capabilities optimize daily 

route assignments, monitors progress, and ensures 

rapid quality control of field work . 

Expanding outreach, digitizing communication, 

and widening partnerships . The Census Bureau has 

conducted extensive outreach and communication 

at the national, state, and local levels to educate 

and motivate the general public about their civic 

duty to participate in the census . We have reached 

out to the entire higher education community, 

school districts nationwide, businesses large and 

small, local civic organizations, faith-based groups, 

and many others to engage their support for the 

census . The response has been exhilarating as, to 

date, more than 265,000 partners have agreed to 

help . 

Data security . The introduction of Web-based data 

collection options requires ongoing cybersecurity 

vigilance to safeguard household responses from 

outside interference . The Census Bureau has introduced a wide range of best-practice security innovations to protect the privacy and confidentiality of 

2020 Census data . 
Innovations for the 2020 Census 3 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 1 . 

INNOVATIONS FOR THE 2020 CENSUS

I. Census Operations

Innovation Specific Activities Outcome

Knowing where to count: 

The Master Address File (MAF)

• 

• 

• 

Geographic information systems .

Aerial photography .

Early coordination with the 

U .S . Postal Service, and state, 

local, and tribal governments .

• 

• 

• 

Greater address and location 

accuracy .

More recent data . 

Reduced resource requirements .

Motivating people to respond • 

• 

More robust partnerships and 

communications campaign .

Partnership specialists in the 

community .

• 

• 

Marketing messages will reach 

99 percent of the population up 

to 61 times . 

Partnership specialists serving 

as trusted voices to enhance 

participation .

Facilitating self-response • Web-based option . • Ease of participation .

• 

• 

• 

Mobile response capability .

Telephone response option .

Improved language program .

• 

• 

Improved response options for 

the traditionally hard-to-count .

Reduced nonresponse followup 

requirement . 

Streamlining nonresponse 

followup

• All electronic recruitment, hiring, 

management, timecards, payroll, 

and assignments .

• 

• 

Management efficiencies .

Improved data quality .

II. Outreach, Communication, and Partnership

Innovation Specific Activities Outcome

Outreach • Address populations hard to 

reach .

• Advertising focus on multicultural and hard to count . 

• 

• 

Engagement of institutions of 

higher education (letters to over 

6,000 presidents) .

Improved system for tracking 

partners called the Customer 

Relationship Management system . 

• 

• 

Expanded outreach to students .

More precise targeting of 

communications and partnership 

assistance to enhance response 

rates . 

Communication—Partnerships • 

• 

• 

Partnership recruitment .

Integrated communications 

campaign .

Utilization of digital advertising .

• 

• 

Improved utilization of partnership capabilities in hard-to-count 

areas .

Expanded reach to households .

III. Protecting the Data

Innovation Specific Activities Outcome

Cybersecurity

Fraud Protection

Data Privacy

• 

• 

• 

• 

Partnership with industry and 

government agencies .

NIST framework assessment .

Model based response .

Privacy and confidentiality best 

practices .

• 

• 

Ability to protect, detect, 

respond, and recover firmly identified events .

Protect and preserve the integrity of the data .

Innovations for the 2020 Census 5 U.S. Census Bureau

Chapter 1.

History and Process

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CENSUS

As mandated by the U .S . Constitution, our nation 

gets one chance each decade to count its population . The decennial census is designed to count 

everyone living in the United States . It is mandated 

by Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution . In 1790, 

Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson headed the 

first census conducted by 650 U .S . Marshals . It is 

now conducted by the Census Bureau, a bureau 

within the Department of Commerce, located 

in Suitland, Maryland . For the 2020 Census, the 

Census Bureau will employ as many as 500,000 

census takers and other temporary workers, many 

with local or direct ties to the neighborhoods they 

count . 

The decennial census has three significant 

purposes:

• First, the census count determines the apportionment of congressional seats in the House 

of Representatives . Each state receives at least 

one representative, the remaining 385 members 

of the House of Representatives are apportioned among the states based on the count of 

each states’ total population . After each census, 

the number of representatives from each 

state may change, as well as the boundaries 

and population centers of each congressional 

district . 

• Second, the census generates the population 

counts that help determine how the government will allocate hundreds of billions of dollars 

in federal funding each year . These funds are 

used for infrastructure and services including health care, schools, emergency response, 

and social services, among others . By having 

a complete and accurate count of the nation’s 

population, services tied to population are more 

effectively and fairly apportioned .

• Finally, the census creates one of the most 

statistically sound data sets in the world . 

People use census data for economic, political, 

commercial, health, and related uses . Urban 

and rural planners, as well as researchers, use 

the data to track population growth and movement . The data also inform business decisions . 

For example, Census Bureau data help stores 

decide how to stock their shelves and companies decide where to open a business . 

As mandated by the U.S. Constitution, since 1790 our nation gets just one chance each decade to count its population. 

The 2020 Census will employ up to 500,000 office and field staff nationally, which is the largest nonmilitary 

mobilization of the American public.
6 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

The importance of census data will continue to 

grow . Our country has evolved through the industrial and agricultural revolutions, which shaped the 

way our businesses and households operate . We 

are in the midst of a technological and data revolution, where businesses and technology companies 

rely on timely data for cutting-edge decisions and 

innovations . 

TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION AND THE DECENNIAL CENSUS

The 2020 Census builds on the long history of 

technological innovation that drives the decennial 

census . 

The census requires the largest nonmilitary mobilization of the American people . Each decennial 

census is a time to create a better, more effective 

system to count a larger and ever-more complex 

population . Historical innovations with roots in the 

Census Bureau include: 

• The Hollerith machine . A precursor of the 

modern computer, this machine was created in 

the late 1800s to read census data cards .

• Optical character sensing and recognition 

via a computerized text reader . The Census 

Bureau built the Film Optical Sensing Device for 

Input for Computers (FOSDIC) reader, which 

converted the census paper questionnaires into 

an electronic format . The first scantron machine 

ever built was used in censuses from 1960–1990 . 

In the 2000 census, the Census Bureau relied on 

the biggest optical character recognition system 

in existence at that time . 

• A geospatial database of all of the roads in 

the entire country . This mapping database was 

created in 1990 and updated for the 2000 and 

2010 censuses . This database became the foundation of all Global Positioning System (GPS) 

and online mapping programs . At the time, it 

was the only comprehensive road mapping 

database of the country available for download and public access . It is referred to as the 

Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding 

and Reference System (TIGER) . The TIGER 

automates the geographic support processes to 

meet the major geographic needs of the Census 

Bureau’s censuses and surveys .

The Census Bureau also pioneered new ways of 

conducting surveys and diverse hiring, including:

• The mailout/mailback survey . Until 1960, 

Census Bureau surveys were conducted entirely 

The Hollerith machine, precursor of the 

modern computer, started in the late 1800s to read 

census cards, and is part of the long Census Bureau history 

of technological innovation.

Built by the Census Bureau for the 1960 and 1970 censuses, 

the Film Optical Sensing Device for Input for Computers 

(FOSDIC) is another Census Bureau innovation.
Innovations for the 2020 Census 7 U.S. Census Bureau

by enumerators going door to door . Mail was 

tested as a vehicle in 1960 and became the 

norm during the 1970 Census, resulting in significant savings in time and resources .

• Statistical sampling . Statisticians at the Census 

Bureau created the foundation for the statistical 

sampling field that has become the worldwide 

standard, dating back to work on the 1940 

census . 

• Workplace diversity . From 1790 to 1870, 

U .S . Marshals and their temporary assistants 

acted as census takers . Due to the increase 

in the scope and complexity of the census, 

Francis Amasa Walker, then-superintendent of 

the Census Office, replaced the marshals with 

trained enumerators . Walker believed that it 

was important to hire people who reflected the 

communities that they counted, which in turn 

would increase participation . For this reason, he 

sought to hire a diverse workforce that included 

widows of Union veterans, freed slaves, and 

disabled soldiers . This diversity of hiring also 

included employees in the regional and headquarters offices, where women and minorities 

generally worked as clerks or in the tabulation 

divisions . With the advent of the Hollerith tabulating machine in 1890, women and minorities 

moved into the role of keypunchers . When the 

Census Bureau became a permanent agency 

in 1902, half of the permanent employees were 

women .

Each decennial census hires hundreds of thousands of new workers, the largest nonmilitary 

mobilization of the American public. The emphasis on hiring directly from local communities 

has historically provided new inroads to women and minorities who had previously experienced 

barriers in the workplace. 
8 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

Accessing genealogy records 

Every 10 years, another set of census data from 72 years prior is released. These records are 

a major input for genealogy and ancestry programs, allowing people to access information 

about their family history. 

A sample of the 1940 Census results—Autauga County, Alabama 

<https://1940census.archives.gov/search/?search.result_type=image&search.state=AL&search.county=&search.city=#>
Innovations for the 2020 Census 9 U.S. Census Bureau

The Evolution of Innovation 

Statistical Atlas/Data Visualizations

Permanent Census Bureau

UNIVAC

Mail Out/Mail Back

American Community Survey

Online Response

TIGER

FOSDIC

Statistical Sampling/Long Form

Hollerith Tabulating Machine

Uniform Printed Schedules

2020

1830

1870

1890

1902

1940

1950

1960

1970

1990

2010
10 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

2020 Census

A complete and accurate count of the population and housing 

in the United States

Count everyone once,

only once, and in the right place. 

Establish

Where to

Count 

Tabulate Data and

Release Census

Results 

Motivate People 

to Respond 

Nonresponse

Followup

Self-Response Group Quarters
Innovations for the 2020 Census 11 U.S. Census Bureau

WHAT IT TAKES TO GET IT DONE 

Conducting the decennial census is a complex 

and monumental task . It progresses through a 

series of key phases as outlined on page 15 .

Establish Where to Count

The decennial census begins with the development of the list of household addresses, which 

determines where we count the population . The 

Census Bureau maintains the most complete 

and accurate address list of the United States in 

existence, and each decade it must be checked 

to ensure that new housing has been added, 

housing that no longer exists is removed, and 

that all housing units are accurately placed 

within the correct geographic boundaries . 

In past decades, this has required well over 

100,000 census listers to walk every street in 

America to check the addresses .

Motivate People to Respond

Then the Census Bureau must motivate people 

to respond to the mailings that will initiate the 

Self-Response operation, when every household is encouraged to provide their responses 

to the census questionnaire . Self-response data 

provided by the household are more accurate 

and cost-effective for the Census Bureau . The 

2020 Census employs a nationwide communications campaign to educate and motivate 

people to participate in the enumeration .

Self-Response

The Census Bureau then begins the process of 

gathering data on the people living in the country . Up until 1960, this was done by sending a 

census taker to interview every housing unit . 

From 1970 to 2010, a census questionnaire was 

mailed to every housing unit and people were 

encouraged to send it back . In 2020, people 

will be invited to respond via the Internet, over 

the telephone, or by returning a paper census 

questionnaire .

Account for People Living in Unique Situations

The decennial census must include everyone 

living in the United States . Special operations 

are used to enumerate the people living in 

nontraditional housing units . This includes 

people in nursing homes, college dormitories, 

the military, migratory farm workers, people in 

prisons, and people experiencing homelessness . Special operations are also conducted to 

account for people living in very rural or remote 

areas, federal employees, and military personnel stationed overseas . These operations are 

described in detail on the next page .

Nonresponse Followup

The Census Bureau must also include all of the 

people who do not respond to the census after 

they have been contacted . This is by far the 

most expensive phase of the decennial census 

because it involves hiring, training, and deploying hundreds of thousands of census takers 

who must knock on doors and interview every 

nonresponding household .

Process, Tabulate, and Release Census Results

Finally, data collected by the Census Bureau is 

tabulated, and the apportionment counts are 

delivered to the President by December 31, 

2020 . Redistricting data are then delivered to 

the states by March 31, 2021 followed by detailed 

statistics on the American population .
12 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

Counting People Living in Unique Situations

Enumeration at Transitory Locations. Counts 

people at transitory locations who do not have 

a usual home elsewhere . Transitory locations 

include recreational vehicle parks, campgrounds,

racetracks, circuses, carnivals, marinas, hotels, 

and motels .

Federally Affiliated Enumeration Overseas. 

Counts by home state the U .S . military and 

federal civilian employees stationed or deployed

overseas and their dependents living with them .

Group Quarters Enumeration. Counts people 

living in group quarters (e .g ., college/university 

student housing, residential treatment centers, 

nursing/skilled nursing facilities, group homes, 

correctional facilities, workers’ dormitories, and 

domestic violence shelters) .

Service-Based Enumeration. Counts people 

experiencing homelessness or utilizing 

transitional shelters, soup kitchens, regularly 

scheduled mobile food vans, and targeted 

nonsheltered outdoor locations .

Update Enumerate. Counts people in very 

remote areas where the Census Bureau conducts 

a direct enumeration, visiting and interviewing 

each housing unit .

Update Leave Enumeration. Counts people 

in areas where the majority of housing units 

do not have or receive mail through city-style 

addresses, receive mail at post office boxes, have 

been affected by major disasters, or are seasonally vacant housing . The address is updated 

and the people living there will be offered three 

different ways to complete the questionnaire 

including Internet, phone, or by mailing back a 

completed paper questionnaire .

THE 2020 CENSUS ENCO

NECESSARY FOR A SUCC

Line of Business

Real estate

MPASSES NUMEROUS LINES OF BUSINESS 

ESSFUL NATIONAL ENUMERATION

Activity

2,856,000 square feet of rentable office space 

248 area census offices 

6 regional census centers 

10 telephone call centers 

2 paper data capture centers

Human resources Up to 500,000 people to hire and train

Printing 1.6 billion printed items

Mailing/postage $230–$240 

588

million in postage 

million mail pieces

IT security Secure deployment, mentoring, and protection

Equipment 56,000 

30,000 

477,000

Laptops 

Tablets 

Smartphones

Marketing $500 

94

million advertising/communication campaign 

to motivate, remind, and thank participants

hours of video content tailored to all 

segments of the population
Innovations for the 2020 Census 13 U.S. Census Bureau

Counting Hard-to-Reach Populations in Northern Alaska 

In January, the 2020 Census count began 

in Alaska’s Toksook Bay, a rural village on 

the Bering Sea that can only be reached 

by snow machine or bush plane when the 

ground is still frozen .

As the census is committed to counting 

every person once, only once, and in the 

right place, special efforts must be made 

to enumerate people who live in hardto-reach places such as rural Alaska . 

In large portions of Alaska that are not 

connected by roads and have irregular 

mail service and no access to Internet, 

census takers must do an in-person 

count . In the spring, when most of the 

country is counted, the tundra is thawing and parts of rural Alaska turn to an 

impassable swamp . Therefore, the census 

takers begin in January in Alaska—when 

the tundra is frozen and the population is 

easier to reach . 

As in previous decennial census counts, 

the Census Bureau director visited rural 

Alaska in January 2020 to mark the 

official beginning of the national count . 

Traveling in subzero temperatures and 

working with local residents, Census 

Bureau staff will make sure that every 

person in Alaska is counted . The count 

began on January 21, 2020 .

Every decennial census begins with counting villages in remote Alaska on the Bering Sea, which can 

only be reached by traveling frozen terrain in winter months. In warmer temperatures when the ice 

thaws, much of the region is impassable.

Innovations for the 2020 Census 15 U.S. Census Bureau

Chapter 2.

Operations

PLANNING FOR A 21ST CENTURY CENSUS

The decennial census requires the largest nonmilitary mobilization of the American people and infrastructure conducted by the U .S . government . The 

majority of this work and the associated costs are 

related to three key areas of the census: determining where to count, providing an opportunity for 

the public to respond, and following up with those 

that do not return a census questionnaire . When 

the Census Bureau began efforts to modernize the 

census design by leveraging technology and data, 

we focused on the following four innovation areas: 

• Reengineering address canvassing . 

• Optimizing self-response .

• Utilizing administrative records and third-party 

data .

• Reengineering field operations . 

These innovation areas represented significant 

cost- savings opportunities, as they rely heavily 

on new technology and working smarter . The four 

innovation areas explored through research, development, and testing for the 2020 Census design 

mirror the operational progression of the decennial 

census . Each area leverages data and technology 

in new ways to increase efficiency and potentially 

contain costs as the Census Bureau establishes 

where to count people, motivates and enables 

households to respond to the census, and follows 

up with those households that do not submit the 

census questionnaire .
16 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

ESTABLISHING WHERE TO COUNT

One of the most labor-intensive tasks for any 

decennial census is compiling an accurate and 

complete list of all the household addresses in the 

United States . This list is the basis for delivering the 

invitations to respond to the census and following 

up with those households that do not submit a 

census questionnaire . It is developed throughout 

the decade using data from the Census Bureau, 

U .S . Postal Service, and state, tribal, and local 

governments .

In previous years, Census Bureau listers checked 

the accuracy and completeness of the address list 

by walking the 11 million blocks in the country . From 

major streets and rural roads, to back alleys and 

unconventional living arrangements, census listers 

would manually ensure that every housing unit was 

accounted for in the Master Address File (MAF) .

For the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau first 

utilized aerial and satellite images from the National 

Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to supplement 

continuous updates from the U .S . Postal Service 

and state, local, and tribal governments .

Housing blocks were classified into three 

categories:

• Active blocks were those images that had 

changed from their 2009 counterparts and/

or the Census Bureau was unable to confirm 

completeness of the MAF . For these active 

blocks, a lister walked the route to observe and 

document the updates in housing units, and 

included these updates in the new MAF . 

• Passive blocks were those for which no change 

was made and blocks in which the in-office 

address update kept up with changes on the 

ground . Instead of sending a lister to the field, 

the address list remained as-is, unchanged from 

the 2010 Census . 

• On-hold blocks were those captured in 

images not clear enough to make a determination: perhaps blurry, or under cloud cover, 

New for the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau utilized aerial and satellite images to update the 

master address list on file.
Innovations for the 2020 Census 17 U.S. Census Bureau

Address Canvassing Characteristics: 2010 and 2020

2010 Census 2020 Census

Early field offices 151 39

Total field offices 494 248

Number of staff budgeted for Address Canvassing1 130,000 42,000

Address Canvassing productivity (cases/hour)2 15.37 21.08

1

 Number of staff are estimated “Deploy to Field” (production and quality control) .

2 2020 Census Address Canvassing productivity rates are expected, 2010 Census Address Canvassing productivity rates are 

actual (production) .

or a problem with the image that would not 

allow for a clear delineation . In these cases, 

we requested new images from the National 

Geospatial-Intelligence Agency . A determination was then made as to how the blocks should 

be classified .

The Address Canvassing operation was part of a 

suite of processes employed by the Census Bureau 

to update and validate the address list for the 2020 

Census . The Census Bureau conducted biannual 

processing of the U .S . Postal Service’s Delivery 

Sequence File, and regular processing of address 

data from tribal, state, and local governments . The 

Census Bureau has long partnered with such organizations to create a full address list, but this time 

partnerships began earlier in the decade with more 

effort devoted to maintaining and building these 

relationships . The Census Bureau also relied on the 

use of aerial imagery to identify areas where the 

address list had been stable and unchanged, where 

it was keeping up with changes on the ground, and 

where differences existed between the address list 

and the number of housing units visible in imagery . 

These coordinated efforts contributed to a more 

accurate 2020 address list at a much earlier date 

than in previous decennial census counts .

Innovation Outcomes

These innovations reduced boots-on-the-ground 

operations by 70 percent: a drastic shift from 2010 

when virtually 100 percent of the country—600 

million miles—was walked by Census Bureau staff .

The 2010 Census address canvassing operations 

consisted of a nearly 100 percent in-field canvassing of the nation’s blocks in FY 2009 . This involved 

the opening of 151 early local census offices (LCOs) . 

The 2020 Census re-engineered address canvassing operations consisted of 100 percent in-office 

address canvassing of the nation’s blocks, followed 

by in-field canvassing of just over a third of the 

nation’s blocks in FY 2019/2020 . This involved the 

opening of 39 early area census offices (ACOs) . 

Following preliminary assessment of the field operational costs of the in-field and in-office address 

canvassing operations as well as the estimated cost 

of the early ACOs/LCOs, the 2010 Census address 

canvassing operations cost approximately 2 .5 times 

more than the 2020 Census address canvassing 

operations in nominal dollars .
18 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

RESPONDING TO THE CENSUS

Internet and telephone make it easier for people to respond to the census.

The 2020 Census will provide an Internet response 

option to the general public for the first time . It will 

also be the first census to promote response over 

the telephone . Paper questionnaires will also be 

available giving the public three ways to respond to 

the census . People will be encouraged to respond 

via the Internet because research shows that data 

quality is improved, and costs are reduced as fewer 

paper questionnaires need to be scanned and 

processed . Internet response also makes it easier 

for people to respond in languages other than 

English . With three modes of response—Internet, 

telephone, and paper—the 2020 Census makes it 

easier than ever before for people to submit their 

questionnaires .

The 2020 Census is now available online. Households will be encouraged to go online and fill it out, though paper 

questionnaires are still available for families who prefer those.
Innovations for the 2020 Census 19 U.S. Census Bureau

The Census Bureau will send up to five paper mailings to every housing unit, urging people to respond 

to the questionnaire online . This begins with an 

invitation letter and is followed by reminder letters 

and post cards . For approximately 20 percent of 

the country, predominately those living in areas 

with low Internet connectivity, we include a paper 

questionnaire in the first mailing . We call this the 

“Internet Choice” cohort . The remaining 80 percent 

are the “Internet First” cohort . We encourage 

Internet response because our research shows that 

we get better data and it is more cost effective . By 

the fourth mailing, every household that has not yet 

responded will receive the paper questionnaire . 

Screenshot of the Web landing page for the 2020 Census questionnaire.
20 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

The 2020 Census: Contact Strategy

Approximately 

87% of addresses will 

receive English-only 

questionnaires, letters, 

and postcards. 

Approximately 

13% of addresses will 

receive bilingual 

questionnaires, letters, 

and postcards. 

Internet First—80%

1 Letter

z

2 Letter 

z

3* Postcard 

z

4* Paper Questionnaire + 

Letter 

z

5* “It’s Not Too Late” 

Postcard

*Mailed only to nonrespondents.

Internet Choice—20%

1 Paper Questionnaire + 

Letter 

z

2 Letter 

z

3* Postcard 

z

4* Paper Questionnaire + 

Letter 

z

5* “It’s Not Too Late” 

Postcard
Innovations for the 2020 Census 21 U.S. Census Bureau

Real-Time Non-ID Processing

In the 2020 Census, it will be easier than ever for a 

household to respond without providing a census 

ID number assigned by the Census Bureau . This 

ID number has always been required because it 

enables us to ensure that the address is correctly 

located on our geographic database . We now have 

the technology to do this automatically, in real time, 

without requiring verification by Census Bureau 

staff in the field . People will enter their address in 

the Internet response instrument, or provide it to a 

telephone agent, and Census Bureau systems working behind the scenes will match it to the MAF . This 

means that people can respond anywhere, anytime, 

using their smartphones, tablets, or computers . This 

is a significant innovation that will enable organizations supporting the 2020 Census to respond at 

conferences, conventions, and faith gatherings .

During previous decennial census operations, partner organizations were encouraged to ask people 

to go home, find the questionnaire we mailed them, 

and mail it back . While forms were available for 

people to fill out in some cases, processing them 

was inefficient and required field verification . Now, 

partnership organizations can host an event with 

mobile devices or computers that people can use 

to respond to the census questionnaire . They can 

also just encourage people to take out their smartphones and respond to the census . Partners, like 

the American Library Association, can also provide 

access to devices at local libraries . We believe 

that this will have a significant positive impact on 

self-response rates .

Mobile Questionnaire Assistance

The Mobile Questionnaire Assistance (MQA) 

program is a direct outcome of real-time non-ID 

processing . This is a field initiative in which Census 

Bureau staff will work closely with community organizations and local governments to go directly into 

neighborhoods and visit events, resident gatherings, 

and high traffic areas with Census Bureau-issued 

mobile devices . The goal is to boost self-response 

by providing additional accessibility to make it 

easier for people to respond to the 2020 Census . 

The Census Bureau works with partners across 

the country to identify key locations in areas 

with low self-response rates . Possible locations 

include grocery stores and markets, houses of 

worship before and after services, community 

festivals, public transit hubs, libraries, community 

centers, and other locations where people naturally 

congregate . 

MQA staff will help people access the census 

questionnaire on mobile devices in English, or one 

of 12 other languages . Respondents will be able to 

complete the form online or over the phone . MQA 

staff will also have language guides for the 59 

non-English languages the Census Bureau supports . 

These guides help people by providing translated instructions on how to complete the census 

questionnaire . 

Identification of Low Response Areas

In late March, initial MQA locations will be based 

on historical response rates . The 20 percent of 

tracts with the lowest historical response rates 

have been identified as areas for MQA . Partnership 

specialists will review events and activities planned 

in these tracts to identify those that are best suited 

for MQA . Recruiting managers will review the list 

of MQA events for their area census office (ACO) 

and will schedule census response representatives 

(CRRs) . When feasible, CRRs will be scheduled to 

work in MQA locations where they can support a 

necessary language for that community .

Beginning in mid-April, the Census Bureau will start 

identifying on a weekly basis MQA locations based 

on actual response rates . The 20 percent of tracts 

with the lowest actual response rates will be identified . Partnership specialists will again review events 

and activities planned in these tracts to determine 

those best suited for MQA . If no events are currently 

planned then partnership specialists will work with 

local partners to establish a new event . Recruiting 

managers will then review the MQA events for their 

area census office and will schedule the CRRs .

MQA is expected to have a significant positive 

impact on response rates as well, particularly 

among traditionally undercounted populations . 
22 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

The Language Program

Language assistance for the 2020 Census goes far 

beyond anything provided in previous censuses . 

People can respond via the Internet in the 13 

languages in the chart above simply by clicking on 

that language on the first screen of the response 

instrument . Telephone agents will be available in 

each of these languages as well as through dedicated phone lines that will be promoted in communities through advertising and partnership support 

materials . In addition, language guides will be available in 59 languages . Respondents can use these 

guides to navigate through the English questionnaire . Online videos in each of the 59 languages will 

be available as well .

This is a dramatic improvement over 2010 when 

translated forms were only available by requesting the form through telephone questionnaire 

assistance centers . The 12 non-English languages 

providing a translated response option cover over 

98 percent of the households with limited English 

proficiency . This figure increases to over 99 percent 

when the language guides in 59 languages are 

taken into account .

Innovation Outputs

The goal of these innovations is to make it easier 

for every person to respond to the census by 

giving them more options and outlets to do so; 

and by removing obstacles that stand in the way 

of self- response . Improvements in self-response 

and Internet self- response have been associated 

with enhanced data accuracy . By giving three ways 

to respond, via Internet, paper questionnaire, or 

telephone, a greater percentage of the population 

may be motivated to respond . The Internet option 

makes it much easier for people who do not speak 

English to respond, due to the instant availability of 

census materials in 12 non-English languages .

Language Support for the 2020 Census

English

Arabic 

Chinese 

(Mandarin/Cantonese)

French

Haitian Creole

Japanese

Korean

Polish

Portuguese

Russian

Spanish

Tagalog

Vietnamese

中文1

日本語

The 2020 Census is available in 13 languages.
Innovations for the 2020 Census 23 U.S. Census Bureau

LEVERAGING ADMINISTRATIVE DATA 

Data that people have already provided to the government can increase the efficiency of 

Nonresponse Followup operations. 

The 2020 Census innovations 

leverages administrative data in 

many operations . This includes 

accounting for households that 

do not respond to the census . 

Administrative data can also be 

used to remove vacant houses 

from the MAF, which is valuable 

during enumeration and prevents 

repeatedly sending census takers 

to addresses where no one 

lives . Administrative data can 

improve on details census takers 

receive from proxy individuals, 

such as neighbors or apartment 

managers . 

Administrative data is information people provide to the 

government . The Census Bureau 

has access to administrative 

records from the databases 

of more than 30 government 

agencies, including the Internal 

Revenue Service, Social Security 

Administration, Department 

of Housing and Urban 

Development, U .S . Postal Service, 

Selective Service System, Indian 

Health Service, and the Centers 

for Medicaid and Medicare 

Services . 

The Census Bureau has a long 

history of using administrative 

records to provide quality information about the U .S . population and economy . These data 

are used to produce population 

estimates and projections . The 

2020 Census will utilize administrative and third-party data to 

gain information about households that do not respond to 

the census . The Census Bureau 

will use this data to enumerate 

about 6 percent of nonresponding households after determining 

that the data are high quality . 

Vacant and Nonexisting 

Housing Units

The use of administrative records 

also aids in determining which 

housing units are vacant or 

nonexisting (e .g ., condemned 

or removed) . If administrative 

data indicates such a unit, the 

Census Bureau will still send a 

staff member to the address—at 

least one time—to verify that no 

one is living there . During previous censuses, staff members 

would visit a home up to six 

times before determining that no 

one lived there . With the help of 

administrative data, the Census 

Bureau can send a staff member 

once to make the determination 

and then do follow-up visits if 

warranted . 

Innovation Outputs

Using administrative data 

to compile the 2020 Census 

improves the data quality and 

reduce costs, but it must be 

harnessed appropriately and 

effectively, with proper oversight . 

The Census Bureau has established a set of guiding principles 

to determine which administrative sources are appropriate . 

However, no one-size-fits-all 

approach exists for accomplishing this, and the Census Bureau 

continues to research new ways 

to create a positive customer 

experience and improve data 

quality . 
24 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

REENGINEERING FIELD OPERATIONS

Leveraging technology to automate the hiring process, the collection of data, the distribution of 

work to field personnel, and the collection of payroll and travel information.

Nearly every housing unit in the country is mailed 

or hand-delivered an invitation to respond to the 

census, and the Census Bureau goes to great 

lengths to make sure no one is overlooked . Based 

on prior analyses of censuses and the American 

Community Survey, the Census Bureau estimates 

a 60 .5 percent response rate, which means that 

roughly 40 percent of the population will not 

reply to the questionnaire prior to the start of 

Nonresponse Followup (NRFU) . Even with the technological innovations made to allow for Internet 

response and removing the requirement for a 

census ID, the Census Bureau must still conduct a 

robust NRFU operation to ensure every household 

is contacted .

The NRFU operation is the most expensive part of 

the census . It requires the recruiting, onboarding, 

and deployment of as many as 500,000 census 

takers nationwide, and it is the largest nonmilitary 

mobilization of the American people .

NRFU utilizes robust technological innovations, 

including the use of mobile devices and real-time 

data . We have also updated the way enumerators 

(who conduct NRFU) are hired and paid, allowing 

for greater efficiency and better oversight .

Early testing by the Census Bureau showed that 

the “notice of visit” left by enumerators on their 

first visit generated a spike in self-response: 

simply seeing the reminder encouraged people to 

complete and submit their questionnaires . 

The innovations surrounding the field operation for 

the 2020 Census can be divided into three areas: 

hiring and onboarding, payroll and administration, 

and workload management . 

Recruiting, Hiring, and Onboarding

In previous decennial census field operations, those 

seeking to become census takers, field managers, or administrative personnel had to fill out an 

application by hand in an office, and complete an 

in-person screening . A Census Bureau employee 

would key in by hand the responses and scores: a 

time-consuming and error-prone process .

The 2020 Census has automated all aspects of the 

application and screening process . This streamlines 

hiring field personnel, reduces the number of errors, 

and allows for a more efficient process to bring 

people on board . 

Given the strong economy, the Census Bureau is 

facing significant challenges recruiting the necessary pool of applicants necessary to hire and 

deploy a workforce of up to 500,000 that will 

be needed for all field operations . Automating 

the process has helped, but we also have 

increased the pay rates, boosted advertising, 

and conducted tens of thousands of recruiting events all over the country . We are now on 

track to reach our goal of an applicant pool 

of 2 .6 million, which is necessary to absorb 

attrition and ensure that we can hire from 

the communities where our field staff will be 

working . The Census Bureau has undertaken a 

robust campaign to recruit part time enumerators from the local communities necessary to 

conduct NRFU . Using paid advertising, partnerships with colleges and universities, and 

support from state and local governments, 
Innovations for the 2020 Census 25 U.S. Census Bureau

the Census Bureau has generated more than 2 .2 

million applicants as of February 10, 2020 .

Once hired, the process for collecting and processing required information for background checks, 

and much of the training, is automated as well .

Payroll and Administration

The Census Bureau has automated all aspects of 

the payroll and administration of field personnel, 

allowing for better oversight, fewer errors, and a 

more effective process for the 2020 Census . 

Workload Management

Census takers are responsible for contacting 

people who have not responded to the census and 

urging them to do so . Every household that has 

not responded receives a visit . In previous decennial census counts, some households that sent in 

a questionnaire later in the census cycle were still 

counted among those who had not responded, 

and warranted an unnecessary follow-up visit . The 

duplication of such efforts was largely unavoidable, given the inability to process paper-based 

questionnaires on a flow basis in order to remove 

responses from the nonresponse followup workload . The 2020 Census allows for a daily refresh of 

data, giving field personnel the most up-to-date 

information . This will lead to fewer annoying duplicative efforts and greater efficiency, by allowing 

for the near- immediate removal of households for 

which census responses have been received . 

These technological innovations also provide workload optimization for census takers, pointing them 

toward the most efficient routes for completing 

their work . The 2020 Census is relying more heavily 

on route optimizations developed with assistance 

from key private sector organizations, including Esri, 

U .S . Postal Service, and United Parcel Service .

Innovation Outputs

The Census Bureau experienced dramatic increases 

in productivity for Address Canvassing and 

Nonresponse Followup . In fact, the 2018 End-toEnd Census Test has shown that productivity 

increased dramatically relative to the 2010 Census .

Online payroll has allowed for better oversight and 

accountability, and enumerators’ progress can be 

tracked online, in real time, reducing errors—both 

those deliberate and unintentional . 

Leveraging digital technology for all aspects of 

field operations has dramatically reduced the need 

for face-to-face interactions between field supervisors and employees, as well as the brick and mortar 

footprint of field offices . In the 2010 Census all 

operations were based on paper forms . Supervisors 

met with their staff daily to provide and receive 

paper maps, case work, payroll, and administrative 

forms . These then had to be turned into the local 

offices where they were processed . Now all of this 

work is transferred digitally using handheld devices . 

The result is that we only need 248 instead of the 

494 local offices required in the 2010 Census .

Challenge: Avoid Duplication of Efforts

During previous decennial 

census follow-up efforts, some 

people were often frustrated 

because they received visits 

from census takers if they 

returned their responses late in 

the census cycle . Enumerators 

sent to do follow-up visits were 

given sets of data that did not 

always reflect the immediate 

changes, so it would inevitably 

lead to duplication of efforts .

The 2020 Census will be the 

first time that enumerators will 

rely on real-time data . On a daily 

basis, responses will be removed 

and updated from the nonresponse followup workload . After 

extensive internal testing, the 

Census Bureau has contracted 

with the private sector to lease 

300,000 mobile wireless devices 

for 10 weeks to eliminate the 

technological uncertainties and 

human errors that come from 

relying on multiple interfaces .

With both of these innovations, 

the Census Bureau expects to 

significantly reduce the duplication of efforts: making better 

use of the enumerators’ time 

and efficiency by avoiding 

households that have already 

responded, and avoiding frustration on the part of people who 

submit their questionnaires later 

in the cycle .
26 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

Timesheets

Registers listing each 

enumerator’s caseload 

along with paper maps

Smartphone Technology Used to Manage

Nationwide Enumerator Workforce: 2020 

Technology can eciently and eectively manage the 

2020 Census fieldwork. The costly 2010 Census 

paper-based workforce operations have 

been replaced. Paper questionnaires

Resulting in the potential for significant savings
Innovations for the 2020 Census 27 U.S. Census Bureau

IMPROVED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) SYSTEMS, INCLUDING MOBILE COMPUTING, 

CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE, AND ENTERPRISE IT SOLUTIONS

Among the technological innovations for the 2020 

Census are improvements to the Census Bureau’s 

IT systems . Building on existing technology, and 

in preparation for online responses and a reliance 

on real-time data refresh, the 2020 Census has 

invested in IT infrastructure and mobile computing 

to ensure a smooth operation . 

The 2020 Census is moving away from laptops and 

instead relying on smartphones and tablets for 

census takers to follow up with people who have 

not responded to their census questionnaire . 

By leasing the mobile devices and tablets, the 

Census Bureau can avoid purchasing millions of 

dollars of hardware that it will not need once the 

decennial field operations conclude . 

The 2020 Census will rely on Cloud infrastructure to scale systems, so that every computerized 

application or infrastructure will be able to handle 

an increased load . This will allow online systems 

processing to be more effective and efficient, while 

maintaining the security and integrity of the data 

captured . The Census Bureau is also using enterprise 

IT solutions during the 2020 Census so that other 

data collection operations will benefit from it . 

Innovations for the 2020 Census 29 U.S. Census Bureau

Chapter 3. 

Outreach, Communication, and Partnership

INTRODUCTION

Prior to the 1970 Census, data collection was 

primarily a door-to-door operation . In 1970, the 

Census Bureau spearheaded the first mail-out, 

mail-in version of the census questionnaire . 

Recognizing that response rates were declining, the 

Census Bureau launched the Partnership Program 

in 1990 . This program mobilized census supporters 

at both the national and local levels, encouraging 

the partners to help the public better understand 

the importance of the census . In 2000, the first 

national paid advertising campaign was launched 

to raise awareness of and increase response to the 

census . 

Every decade since, the Census Bureau has 

stepped up efforts . The largest, most sophisticated 

push to attract partners and boost response rates 

for any census is currently underway . This chapter 

outlines our wide-scale effort to reach a mass audience and encourage participation in the decennial 

census . 

Challenge: How Do We Communicate With People 

About the Census?

The census is complex, and each decade it becomes 

more difficult to complete . Distrust in government is 

greater than ever, and the public seems increasingly 

reluctant to cooperate with censuses and surveys . 

People are concerned about sharing their personal 

information and may not recognize the value of 

statistical information produced by the government . 

In addition, households are more complex, diverse, 

and dynamic . For example:

• Blended families may include children who have 

two primary residences . 

• Households may include more than one family 

or multiple generations . 

• Families facing economic difficulties, or other 

crises, often pair up or stay with family or 

friends . 

• Young people such as college students and 

others may stay in multiple places . 

• More households speak languages other than 

English .
30 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

It’s a challenge to include all these people in census 

counts . The United States continues to be a highly 

mobile nation; about 15 percent of the population 

moves in a given year . Also an increasing number of 

households speak languages other than English .

In the United States, in past censuses, the census 

experienced a persistent undercount of minority 

populations and an overcount of the white population . This is referred to as the differential undercount, and it has a disproportionate effect in 

high-density urban areas . 

The differential undercount has existed in previous censuses because certain population groups 

had a greater number of the characteristics that 

were observed in undercounted households . These 

include low income, single-par ent families, and 

many other factors contributing to the increasing diversity and complexity of the population . 

To conduct a complete and accurate census that 

includes everyone living in the United States, the 

Census Bureau’s motivation, outreach, and promotional efforts are specifically designed to address 

households with historically lower participation 

rates . Since the 2000 Census, the Census Bureau 

has relied on a massive paid advertising campaign 

aimed at reaching everyone—especially traditionally undercounted populations . In addition, the 

campaign is part of building a strong partnership 

program that can mobilize trusted voices to help 

spread the message that responding to the census 

is important and safe .

Many of our innovations surrounding the 2020 

Census are designed to tackle the challenge of how 

to reach people to encourage them to respond and 

participate in the census, as discussed in detail in 

this section . 

2020 Census Technology and Innovations—

Outreach, Communication, and Partnership

Highlights

• Expanded social media communications 

and monitoring .

• Established higher education outreach 

programs with universities .

• Improved advertising and messaging .

• Leveraged data to optimize the communications and partnership campaign .

• Created more complete partnerships with 

a stronger foundation .

• Cultivated an ubiquitous digital presence 

across all audiences .

• Achieved wider outreach in schools and 

communities .
Innovations for the 2020 Census 31 U.S. Census Bureau

THE 2020 CENSUS ADVERTISING AND COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM

Each decade since the 2000 Census, the Census 

Bureau has mounted an increasingly robust and 

sophisticated communications campaign . It 

includes advertising in all major media outlets: paid 

print, television, out of home (e .g . any advertising 

that reaches consumers outside of their home), 

radio, and social media ads targeted at Englishspeaking audiences as well as specific population groups, including: Black/African American, 

Hispanic/Latino, Asian, American Indian and Alaska 

Native, and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific 

Islanders . Advertising is extensive, and it includes 

mass media . Paid ads will air in English and the 

other 12 languages supported by the 2020 Census 

Internet and telephone self-response systems . 

The Census Bureau will also continue to mount a 

traditional earned-media campaign that will inform 

stories in news media across the country in print, 

social, and digital media . This campaign will include 

a national events strategy that is more robust than 

what we saw in previous censuses . This began with 

the census kickoff on April 1, 2019, and included 

events on Constitution Day in September and a 

recruiting event in October . See table below for 

upcoming events . 

Additional components of the outreach, communications, and partnership effort include a 

strong research foundation, paid advertising, the 

Partnership Program, social and digital media, the 

Statistics in Schools Program, and stakeholder 

engagement—each of which build on the experience of prior censuses .

2020 CENSUS PLANNED NATIONAL EVENTS

Calendar as of January 1, 2020

Planned Event Date Location

Integrated Communications Campaign (ICC) Launch January 14, 2020 Washington, DC

2020 Census Interfaith Summit February 18, 2020 Washington, DC

Counting Young Children in the 2020 Census February 22, 2020 Cleveland, OH

Invitation-Focused Media Blitz March 16, 2020 Atlanta, GA

Census Day 2020 April 1, 2020 New York, NY

It’s Time to Respond to the Census—Community Benefits April 14, 2020 Oakland, CA

Major League Baseball Event—Get a Full Count April 28, 2020 Milwaukee, WI

2020 Census Neighborhood Celebration May 13, 2020 San Antonio, TX
32 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

Building the Research Foundation

Prior to the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau built 

the strongest research foundation ever put in place 

to drive messaging and media placement for a 

census communications campaign . This process 

began with the analysis of the public’s response to 

censuses and surveys throughout the decade, as 

well as other sources, including third-party data . 

This data is used to build predictive models that 

provided estimates for the likelihood that people 

in all population groups, and at all levels of geography, will respond to the census . These models 

were then translated into “low response scores” 

that helped the Census Bureau, and the advertising firms they collaborated with, understand 

respondent behavior so that messaging, media, and 

other communications activities can be deployed 

in a manner that maximizes impact . These low 

response scores are then combined with additional 

information including media usage data to allocate 

groups into larger segments of the population, 

which will drive the purchase and placement of 

advertising in the campaign . These segments are 

described in the following chart .

Audience segmentation was based on the Census 

Barriers, Attitudes, and Motivators Study (CBAMS) . 

CBAMS was far more robust than a similar study 

conducted in 2010, where it was only used to 

inform messaging . In 2020, it is driving the entire 

campaign . First, a quantitative survey was fielded 

Rapid Response

Activities

Data 

Dissemination

Website Development

and Digital Activities

Advertising and

Media Buying

Statistics 

In Schools

Public Relations and Events

and Crisis Communications

Social Media

Field Recruitment Advertising 

and Communications Stakeholder Relations 

Partnership Program

2020 Census Integrated Partnership 

and Communications Operation
Innovations for the 2020 Census 33 U.S. Census Bureau

with a random sample of 50,000 households that 

achieved a response rate of over 39 percent . Results 

from the survey were supplemented with 42 focus 

groups conducted throughout the country—consisting of the major population groups which are the 

focus of the communications program . The goal 

of CBAMS was to understand the perceptions and 

knowledge gaps that inform the likelihood of people 

responding to the census, so that messaging and 

communications activities can be better focused 

to motivate self-response . For example, CBAMS 

revealed a lack of knowledge about the questions 

being asked in the 2020 Census and the uses of 

census data . CBAMS also indicated that a significant portion of the public is concerned that census 

data can be used against them—for example, in 

the enforcement of immigration laws, which is not 

true . All of these factors were addressed in the final 

creative treatments developed for the communications campaign .

Introduction to Tract-Level Segments

Note: U.S. population percentages do not add to 100 percent due to tracts with no segment assigned.

Responsive Suburbia

• Below-average predicted 

rate of response, with a high 

proportion via Internet 

response.

• Communities around college 

campuses or military bases.

• A majority aged 18-24, high 

percentage college educated, 

and high percentage 

renter-occupied housing 

units. 

Student and Military 

Communities

2%

of the U.S.

population

56%

predicted

self-response

71% 24%

predicted of the U.S.

self-response population

• High predicted rate of 

response, with a high 

proportion via Internet 

response.

• Suburban neighborhoods of 

single family homes.

• High percentage college 

educated, high percentage 

married, and high median 

household incomes.

• High predicted rate of 

response, with aboveaverage Internet response.

• Small towns and less 

densely populated areas 

surrounding urban centers.

• Low diversity and a higher 

percentage aged 65 and 

over than the national 

average. 

• Below-average predicted 

rate of response, with belowaverage Internet response.

• Rural areas predominantly in 

the Western United States, 

Appalachia, Northern Maine, 

and Michigan’s Upper 

Peninsula.

• High percentage owneroccupied housing units and 

below-average levels of 

Internet access. 

Main Street Middle

Sparse Spaces

5%

of the U.S.

population

49%

predicted

self-response

21%

of the U.S.

population

67%

predicted

self-response

14%

of the U.S.

population

• Slightly below-average 

predicted rate of response, 

with below-average Internet 

response.

• Rural areas predominantly in 

the Eastern United States, 

surrounding small towns and 

outside the suburbs of major 

cities.

• High percentage 

owner-occupied housing 

units, low percentage college 

educated, and below-average 

median household incomes. 

• Low predicted rate of 

response, with belowaverage Internet response.

• California’s Central Valley 

and parts of New Mexico, 

Texas, Florida, as well as 

concentrations in urban 

areas.

• High percentage foreign-born, 

low percentage college 

educated, and a majority 

Hispanic. 

Multicultural Mosaic

Country Roads

45%

predicted

self-response

16%

of the U.S.

population

60%

predicted

self-response

• Slightly below-average 

predicted rate of response, 

with a high proportion via 

Internet response.

• Densely-populated metro 

centers.

• High percentage college 

educated, above-average 

percentage foreign-born, 

high percentage aged 25-44 

compared to the nation, and 

high median household 

incomes. 

• Low predicted rate of 

response, with the lowest rates 

of Internet response.

• Rural parts of southeastern 

United States, as well as 

concentrations in urban areas.

• Low percentage college 

educated, low median 

household incomes, 

below-average levels of Internet 

access, and a majority 

Non-Hispanic African American. 

Rural Delta and 

Urban Enclaves

Downtown Dynamic

7%

of the U.S.

population

43%

predicted

self-response

9%

of the U.S.

population

59%

predicted

self-response
34 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

Taken together, CBAMS and the segmentation analysis provided the foundation for the creative development of the advertising treatments, which were then 

tested through 122 focus groups conducted nationwide, as well as an online survey and interviews with 

cultural representatives of specific population groups . 

The result is the most well-researched advertising 

campaign ever put in place for a decennial census .

The 2020 Census Paid Media Campaign

Since the 2000 Census, the Census Bureau has 

hired a major advertising firm to build the advertising campaign and provide support for the key 

components of the communications program . 

The contract for the 2020 Census paid media 

campaign was awarded to VMLY&R, a major legacyadvertising firm with over 80 years of experience . They are managing a contract worth over 

$500 million that will inform every component of 

the Integrated Partnership and Communications 

program and include an advertising buy that will 

likely exceed the 2010 campaign when adjusted for 

inflation .

Known as Team Y&R, or TYR by the Census Bureau, 

the contracting team includes 13 subcontractors, 

which require extensive project coordination and 

cooperation . This includes firms with expertise 

in the major audiences that will receive direct 

advertising including the Black/African-American, 

Hispanic/Latino, Asian, American Indian and Alaska 

Native, and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific 

Islander populations . By relying on firms with these 

individual skill sets, the Census Bureau was able 

to better tailor the media and messaging toward 

individual groups and gauge the response before 

going live with the advertising . It also allowed for 

more creative risk-taking and ensured all ads spoke 

directly to their target audience and were culturally 

relevant and culturally sensitive . 

The contractors worked with the Census Bureau 

to produce a thoroughly tested platform . Starting 

earlier has led to a more integrated campaign of 

the census program . As compared to 2010, the 

2020 Census relied much more on feedback and 

focus group testing of the 2020 Census campaign 

messages and taglines . The result of the research 

testing and creative development produced the 

“Shape Your Future” campaign platform and over 

1,000 creative treatments across all of the key 

population groups . See <https://2020census .gov 

/en/partners/outreach-materials .html> for latest 

updates . 

2020 Census logo and tagline.

The campaign launched with recruitment advertising in October 2019 and will continue with four key 

phases in 2020: 

Awareness: January–March. Focusing on educating the public about the 2020 Census .

Motivation: March–May. Issuing a call to action to 

respond to the 2020 Census .

Reminder: May–June. Letting the public know 

that census takers will be visiting their 

homes and that it’s not too late to 

respond .

Thank You: September. Thanking the public, 

through a small campaign, for supporting and participating in the 2020 

Census .
Innovations for the 2020 Census 35 U.S. Census Bureau

INNOVATIONS FOR THE 2020 CENSUS SURROUNDING DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS

Resources for digital ads on the Web site and 

in social media . In 2010, less than 10 percent of 

the Census Bureau’s advertising campaign was 

focused on digital properties . That has more 

than tripled for 2020 . 

Changing the look and feel of digital ads . The 

Census Bureau is both increasing the number 

of digital advertisements, and dedicating more 

time to improving the messaging, look, and 

feel of the digital advertising to fit the audience and the many different platforms most 

used by our target audiences . Gone are the 

days when the print ad was simply reformatted 

for the online banner ad .

Improving messaging and microtargeting . 

Digital advertising allows the Census Bureau to 

tailor its messaging to specific populations and 

media outlets—changing languages, themes, 

and visuals that would best resonate with the 

group exposed to the advertisement . Digital 

advertising allows the Census Bureau to be 

nimble when adjusting the advertising strategy 

to encourage self- response or connect with 

hard-to-reach groups . In previous decennial 

census advertising campaigns, when advertising required a shift, it would often take weeks . 

With digital ads, the change can be done 

almost immediately . If a segment of the population or part of the country is responding less 

than expected, or if information comes in that 

needs correcting or clarifying quickly, it is the 

digital mediums that will be the first to make 

the shift and address the need for clarification . 

Putting more resources into connecting 

with a mobile audience . Digital advertising 

has the advantage of being able to reach a 

mobile audience . As more people consume 

media online and traditional reliance on print 

and television decrease, a mobile advertising campaign is paramount to reach a wide 

audience .

Better use of data metrics and A/B testing . 

Digital advertising produces detailed data 

metrics, with an ability to target a zip code, 

age range, or audience type . Through digital 

advertising, the Census Bureau can course-correct in real time . A/B testing, the concept of 

putting out two similar advertisements and 

seeing which receives a better response, can 

be deployed at the outset, allowing the Census 

Bureau to have a more effective campaign 

from the beginning . 

Creating a consumer-focused Web site . While 

all government agencies now use Web sites to 

communicate with citizens, the 2020 Census 

took the extra step to create a consumerfocused Web site for the decennial census . The 

Census Bureau was cognizant of personalizing the experience for people who would be 

coming online in search of specific answers, 

and worked with the integrated communications contractor to create a savvier Web 

design, including an improved search function, 

a better interface, and the ability to tailor the 

Web site to the user . 

Innovation Outputs

The robust advertising campaign of 2020 

allows the Census Bureau to reach more 

households than ever before . In 2010, the 

Census Bureau reached 95 percent of the 

population, with a frequency of up to 18 times, 

through paid advertising . By contrast, in 2020, 

the Census Bureau anticipates reaching 99 .9 

percent of the population up to 26 times 

during the motivation phase . By diversifying 

our advertising options, including more digital platforms and starting earlier in the cycle, 

census messaging can reach far more people, 

many more times, increasing the likelihood 

of resonance, and ultimately better rates of 

response .
36 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

2020 CENSUS INNOVATION: A BIGGER DIGITAL PRESENCE

The 2020 Census is the first time the Census 

Bureau is putting a significant investment in digital advertising, and spending time and resources 

targeting online sites including Facebook, 

Instagram, paid search engines, display ads, and 

programmatic advertising . The push to have a 

greater digital presence will allow the Census 

Bureau to reach a mobile audience, tailor messages, 

microtarget, and shift campaign ads and messages, 

as needed . 

The country is moving online and one way to 

reach people is to expand how we connect with 

them . Online mediums, particularly search engines 

and social networking sites, make up a significant 

portion of digital connections . 

Should a specific area of the country generate 

lower than expected responses, the Census Bureau 

can increase advertising outreach to that area . 

Microtargeting to regions allows the Census Bureau 

to tailor the messaging, including creating appropriate language for hard-to-reach communities and 

those who distrust government, both of which have 

been traditionally undercounted . Also, if the Census 

Bureau’s call center detects a sizable number of calls 

or comments surrounding a specific concern, digital 

advertising will allow us to respond more directly .

The 2020 Census also makes use of the innovative Response Outreach Area Mapper (ROAM) . 

The ROAM application was developed to make 

it easier to identify hard-to-count areas and to 

provide a socioeconomic and demographic characteristic profile of these areas using American 

Community Survey estimates available in the 

Planning Database . Learning about each hard-tocount area allows the Census Bureau to create a 

tailored communication and partnership campaign, 

and to plan for field resources including hiring staff 

with language skills . These and other efforts can 

improve response rates . 

The Response Outreach Area Mapper (ROAM), a digital tracking innovation, will make it easier to 

identify and target hard-to-count areas.
Innovations for the 2020 Census 37 U.S. Census Bureau

Innovation Outputs

The increased agility that comes with digital 

advertising will allow the Census Bureau to spend 

advertising dollars more carefully and in a more 

targeted way . It also will increase the likelihood of 

reaching hard-to-count populations, by making it 

easier to advertise and communicate with people in 

languages other than English .

The more people who self-respond to the census, 

the fewer Nonresponse Followup operation interviews must be conducted, saving time and money 

and allowing the Census Bureau to better allocate 

resources to other parts of the operation, such as 

hard-to-count populations . 

Pacific Islanders...

... have the right to be counted in the 2020 Census. The census 

is a population count that happens every 10 years and counts 

every man, woman, and child in your home. Shape our future 

by responding to the 2020 Census.

For more information, visit:

2020CENSUS.GOV

D-PO-NP-EN-443

I count, you count, 

we all count in the 

2020 Census.

Every 10 years, the census counts every person living

in the United States. Our responses to the census shape how 

more than $675 billion dollars in public funding is distributed

to our communities for health care, education, and more. 

Complete the 2020 Census online, by phone, or by mail.

All personal information is kept confidential by law.

For more information, visit:

2020CENSUS.GOV

D-PO-BL-EN-438

Count everyone in your 

home to shape the future.

Your response to the 2020 Census will help inform how more 

than $675 billion in federal funding each year is distributed to 

communities for education, health care, and other services. 

Responding is important for you and your family, so include 

everyone in your home on your census questionnaire.

For more information, visit:

2020CENSUS.GOV

D-PO-AS-EN-426

Queremos construir 

un futuro donde todo 

Puerto Rico cuente.

Ahora más que nunca, necesitamos saber cuántos somos en la isla. 

Ser contados ayudará a determinar cómo fondos federales son 

asignados a Puerto Rico. Si todos respondemos, contribuimos a un 

mejor futuro. Ya sea en línea, por teléfono o por correo, solo toma 

unos minutos. 

Para más información, visite:

2020CENSUS.GOV

D-PO-PR-PR-444

They count on you to 

help shape their future.

The education of our children is the key to a better future. Responses to 

the 2020 Census help inform how much federal funding goes to schools, 

after-school activities, and other education programs like Head Start.

Make sure to do your part. Count everyone living or staying in your home 

on your census form and help shape the future of our children.

For more information, visit:

2020CENSUS.GOV D-PO-LT-EN-472
38 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

A BIGGER, BETTER, AND MORE TARGETED PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

Since 1990, the Census Bureau has invested heavily in building a robust partnership program, as 

history has taught us how critical having strong 

partner relationships is for a healthy census . In fact, 

the partnership program may be the most important factor in reaching traditionally undercounted 

populations . Census partners are national organizations like the NAACP, the Mexican American 

Legal Defense Fund, and the U .S . Chambers of 

Commerce . Major corporations also become 

census partners . At the local level, partners can 

be churches, synagogues and mosques, legal 

aid clinics, grocery stores, universities, colleges, 

and schools . Partners are the trusted voices in 

their communities; they have a profound impact 

on those who listen when they say the census is 

important and safe . Our partners seal the deal 

with communities that may be fearful or distrustful of the government . Even with all of the Census 

Bureau’s innovation and improvements to the 

self-response system, we have learned—and 

research confirms—that when communities and 

leaders recognize the importance of participating in 

the census, this message gets across to households . 

No matter how much advertising and how targeted 

our messaging, the best, most trusted information 

comes from a person of trust . 

There are two prongs to the Partnership Program:

• The National Partnership Program (NPP) works 

from Census Bureau headquarters mobilizing 

national organizations . 

• The Community Partnership and Engagement 

Program (CPEP) works at the local level 

to reach organizations that directly touch 

communities . 

NPP and CPEP are more integrated than ever 

before, and with their goal of 300,000 partners, 
Innovations for the 2020 Census 39 U.S. Census Bureau

they will exceed the totals reached in prior 

censuses . 

The Census Bureau has doubled its professional 

partnership staff . For the 2010 Census, there were 

800 professional partnership staff across the 

country . For 2020, there are over 1,600 professional 

partnership staff working in the regions or on direct 

outreach to community organizations . 

Even though there are record-breaking numbers 

of partners and staff signed on and expected to 

join as 2020 begins, the partnership program has 

prioritized the quality of the partnerships over 

quantity . The goals of the partnership program are 

to educate, encourage, and engage their respective 

communities—educate people about the census 

and foster cooperation with enumerators, encourage community partners to motivate people to 

self-respond, and engage grassroots organizations 

to create inroads with hard-to-count groups and 

those not motivated to respond . 

Starting Earlier and Building Complete Count 

Committees 

The Census Bureau in the 2010 Census learned 

that committees uniting government and community leaders could play a pivotal role in establishing, organizing, and integrating census partners 

at the state, local, and tribal levels . We call these 

Complete Count Committees (CCC) . In January 

2017, 40 seasoned Census Bureau employees set 

out across the country to encourage communities 

to come together from every level to form CCCs, 

and as of this writing, there are over 10,000 of them 

working diligently to educate the public about the 

census . In March, they will echo the advertising 

campaign and call on their states and communities 

to respond to the census . The Census Bureau does 

not control or pay for CCCs, but all have access to 

census materials that can help with promotion and 

education . 

Leveraging Digital Technology 

In the 2010 Census, relationships with census partners were tracked unevenly in a database that was 

difficult to access and use effectively . In 2020, we 

deployed a Customer Relationship Management 

(CRM) system used to track partnerships . Partner 

organizations are able to go online and indicate 

their willingness to partner with the Census Bureau . 

The Census Bureau captures that electronic information and sends it to either a regional or national 

partnership team . Once the information is entered 

into the CRM by Census Bureau staff, we are able to 

track what happens with the partnership, including 

internal metrics and staffing decisions, which keeps 

both the partner and the Census Bureau more 

accountable to one another . The CRM is enhancing communications efforts between the Census 

Bureau and our partners, and it will enable us to 

mobilize and direct partnership activities toward 

where they are most needed to the areas where 

they are most needed .

The 2020 Census has a much larger digital presence, with the capability to communicate electronically with partners in real time . The Census Bureau 

distributes support materials via the Internet, 

and partners have access to over 120 posters, 

pamphlets, and handouts covering every issue 

and topic most important to understanding and 

responding to the census .

The 2020 Census also gives partner organizations 

and the general public access to the ROAM, our 

database that provides information on communities and their tendency to respond to the census . 

It builds on the Planning Database used in prior 

censuses, and it is far more user-friendly and now 

available to the public . The ROAM utilizes data 

from the American Community Survey and other 

data sources to apply low response scores to 

areas, enabling Census Bureau staff and partners 

to focus their efforts on traditionally undercounted 

populations . 

By starting earlier and leveraging technology, the 

Census Bureau has built the strongest partnership 

program ever, and it will be critical in mounting 

support for and response to the 2020 Census .
40 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

Census Worship Weekend

The Census Bureau relies on 

leaders in the faith community 

to help encourage people to 

respond to their census questionnaires . One way in which 

the faith community participates in the 2020 Census is 

through activities surrounding 

the Census Worship Weekend, 

the final weekend in March, 

before April 1, 2020: 

Census Day . 

What started as “Census 

Sunday” has evolved to be a 

more inclusive weekend to 

reach people of all faiths and 

houses of worship . In preparation for this weekend, the 

Census Bureau provides a 

faith-based toolkit, where faith 

leaders can pull information to 

present to their congregation, 

either during the course of a 

regular service or sermon, or 

through special events, digital 

channels like social media, or 

regular correspondence within 

the community . 

Such promotion and amplification among community 

members is key for having a 

high self-response participation 

rate in a decennial census . For 

the 2020 Census, the Census 

Worship Weekend will allow 

people to respond to the census 

right away . By no longer requiring a unique census ID for each 

person, having the dual support 

of the faith-based community and the MQA will give 

more people the opportunity 

to respond to the census in a 

timely manner, saving resources 

on the NRFU operation . 

CONTACT US TODAY!

CENSUS.PARTNERS@CENSUS.GOV

2020CENSUS.GOV/PARTNERS

Why Your Faith Community Should 

Become a 2020 Census Official Partner 

The 2020 Census is fast approaching, and faith leaders play a key 

role in this important effort. The U.S. Constitution requires a complete count of the nation’s population every 10 years. Census data 

impact decisions at the national, state, tribal, and local levels—from 

congressional representation to the annual allocation of more 

than $675 billion. These resources are essential to the well-being 

of all of our neighbors, supporting schools, hospitals, fire departments, and more.

The U.S. Census Bureau partners with the faith community to get 

the word out about the importance of the count. Faith leaders are 

trusted voices in their communities. You know how to reach your 

congregation and members; hard-to-count families, individuals 

and children; other national and local leaders; and key stakeholders. By being a 2020 Census partner, you can inspire your community to support a complete and accurate count.

What is a 2020 Census partner?

Your community of faith or faith-based organization would join 

a network of nonprofit, corporate, public sector, and community 

organizations working to educate the public about the 2020 

Census and encourage households to fill out their census form. 

Together, we can develop solutions to reach everyone. Faith 

community partners—including religious denominations, faith 

communities, and national and regional faith-based organizations 

and institutions, governing bodies and councils, and local 

congregations and members—are important 2020 Census voices. 

What does a partner do?

You can make a difference in the places we live, work, and 

worship. We ask you to join us in ensuring we count everyone 

living in the United States once, only once, and in the right 

place, including helping us reach hard-to-count members of 

the community. The Census Bureau will provide resources that 

make it easy to help, including social media posts; handouts and 

posters; and e-mail, bulletin, and newsletter content. 

Here are some 

of the ways 

you can help:

Communicate to your 

members: Highlight the 2020 

Census in e-mails, bulletins, 

newsletters, and mailings to 

increase awareness of why 

the census is important. Hang 

posters in common areas, 

like the cafeteria. Link to 

<2020Census.gov> on your 

Web site and include 2020 

Census messages on social 

media and in faith-based media.

Add your voice: Write a 

blog, op-ed, or letter to the 

editor on why participating

in the 2020 Census is important 

to those you serve. Mention

the 2020 Census in speeches. 

Tape a public service 

announcement or testimonial 

and post it to your Web site 

or share it with faith-based 

media. Serve on or support a 

Complete Count Committee, 

or start one of your own. (Visit 

<2020census.gov/partners> 

and click on Complete Count 

Committees to learn more.)

<https://2020census.gov/content/dam/2020census/materials/partners 

/2019-08/faith-community-flyer.pdf>
Innovations for the 2020 Census 41 U.S. Census Bureau

2020 CENSUS INNOVATION: WIDER OUTREACH IN SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES

The Census Bureau has directed more resources to 

schools and communities . Through group events 

throughout the country, the Census Bureau has 

brought together groups to harness the collective creative power of a wider range of partners, 

such as artists, communicators, and technological 

innovators . 

Outreach Innovations for the 2020 Census

Facilitating the Census Open Innovation Labs 

(COIL) . The COIL encourage collaboration with 

a wide range of partners—through Solutions 

Workshops, Create-a-Thons, and The Opportunity 

Project . 

Hosting Solutions Workshops . The Census Bureau 

is prototyping new ways to engage with partners 

and communities around the country by hosting Solutions Workshops . These idea-generating 

workshops, which last only a day, bring diverse 

people and organizations together to solve challenges, such as reaching hard-to-count populations, through a series of creative problem solving 

exercises . Participants generate new ideas with 

an approach that emphasizes empathy and is 

customized to the needs of the real people they are 

engaging . The Solution Workshop toolkits are available online and open to any group, location, and 

audience at <https://www2 .census .gov/about 

/partners/general/workshop-toolkit .pdf> . 

Engaging Artists and Creative Thinkers in 

Create-a-Thons . As part of an effort to engage 

more designers, writers, storytellers, technologists, 

comedians, influencers, and Internet aficionados, 

the Census Bureau hosts Create-a-Thons across the 

country . 

These events encourage wide-ranged thinking and 

limitless ideas, several of which are carried over 

into the Census Bureau’s work in reaching hard-tocount populations . The Create-a-Thons also allow 

the Census Bureau to more deeply engage with 

communities that otherwise would be separate 

from government day-to-day affairs . People from 

creative, technological, artistic, and a myriad of 

other backgrounds come together to participate, 

and the result is more creative and less constrained 

ideas—so more people are motivated to respond to 

the census .

The Census Bureau hosts Create-a-Thons, attracting 

participants and generating content designed to 

reach a wide-range audience .

New Digital Tools Through the Opportunity 

Project . Since launching in 2016, The Opportunity 

Project has yielded dozens of new digital tools 

that help solve problems using government data, 

like connecting veterans and their families with 

jobs, connecting people experiencing homelessness with services and shelter, and rebuilding rural 
42 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

economies . Though the program is housed in the 

Census Bureau, it works across agencies pulling 

talent together to collaboratively make government 

data more accessible and useful to the general 

public . 

Through the Opportunity Project, the Census 

Bureau connects tech developers, local leaders, and

nonprofit organizations with problem statements 

on issues like jobs, transportation, and housing, 

and facilitates user-centered tech development to 

create new digital solutions . These groups participate in 12 to 14 week sprints to create data-driven 

tools for public use . 

For the 2020 Census, the Opportunity Project 

had a census sprint tackling four areas: addressing digital literacy to improve online self-response, addressing the digital divide, reaching 

hard-to-count populations, and promoting 2020 

Census jobs . While the final products are still in 

their demonstration stage, the teams have already 

produced a mapping tool to help with hard-tocount populations, an online job tool to help people 

learn about census taker jobs, and a storytelling 

tool to assist partner organizations in putting 

together meaningful content for their audiences . 

In December 2019, the Opportunity Project 

awarded five $20,000 prizes to the most promising 

data-driven digital solutions produced by the 25 

sprints conducted by tech companies and universities they sponsored . One of these, called 

DATA2GO .NYC, uses federal, state, and city data 

sets to provide reliable, up-to-date information on 

New York City neighborhood assets and challenges 

for all who work to improve the quality of life for 

New Yorkers in need .
Innovations for the 2020 Census 43 U.S. Census Bureau

The Census Bureau’s Statistics in Schools program has lesson plans updated throughout the decade 

in subject areas including math, English, social studies, geography, and sociology. 

Expanding the Statistics in Schools Program . The 

Census Bureau has long had a presence in schools . 

Beginning with the 1950 census, a “Census in 

Schools” program was created to teach students 

about the census, to explain why it is important, 

and to show how the data could be used . During 

the past decade, rather than waiting every 10 years 

to teach students about the nation’s statistical 

agency, “Census in Schools” became “Statistics in 

Schools,” with lesson plans updated throughout the 

decade . 

Statistics in Schools expanded to include the 

following subject areas: math, English, social studies, geography, and sociology . The teaching materials currently include:

• A collection of 67 classroom activities .

• Updated classroom maps with census statistics .

• Three videos for students in kindergarten 

through the 12th grade .

• A sing-along song .

• A new activity book for children aged 2 to 5 .

With these materials, teachers can incorporate 

Census Bureau statistics into subjects such as 

English language arts, math, and social studies . 

The materials are free and developed by educators and subject experts from across the country . 

It is another way the Statistics in Schools program 

can help the nation’s youngest people develop an 

appreciation of the census and better understand 

the many uses for its data .
44 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

Census Bureau Outreach With Higher Education

The Census Bureau is engaging university 

officials and higher education organizations to promote awareness and encourage participation in the census . These 

groups and universities are emphasizing 

the importance of responding to the 

census as a civic responsibility through 

various mediums, including: 

• Executive conference presentations . 

• Social media .

• Newsletters .

• Census exhibits in university libraries .

• Webinars .

• Recruiting events and messaging in 

campus recruiting offices .

• Incorporating Statistics in Schools 

curriculum into adult literacy and 

English as a Second Language 

programs .

THE HIGHER EDUCATION INITIATIVE

Higher education plays a critical role in promoting 

the national census and encouraging students to 

participate in their civic duty . The Census Bureau 

director has sent engagement letters to the presidents of 6,100 colleges and universities informing 

them of the importance of being included in the 

2020 Census, as well as the opportunity for student 

involvement in the census workforce .

Currently over 5,000 colleges and universities 

are census partners . These partners are holding 

census-related activities and issuing expanded 

messaging about the census . Universities are also 

encouraged to create a toolkit for their student 

organizations based on the generic toolkit created 

by the COIL . The University of Southern California 

is creating a toolkit for student organizations and 

administrators . Southern New Hampshire Online 

University is holding webinars to promote census 

jobs and James Madison University President 

Jonathan Alger came to Census Bureau headquarters to participate in a widely viewed social media 

event . 

The Census Bureau is also encouraging student-led 

organizations, such as Students Learn Students 

Vote and their coalition partners, to take an active 

role in promoting awareness and cooperation with 

the census . These student-led groups have formed 

a census working group that meets monthly to 

collaborate and disseminate information about 

how each campus organizations can help ensure an 

accurate count . Students from the group Campus 

Compact were invited to the Census Bureau in 

January 2020 to receive an overview of census 

demographic and economic data, continued 

messaging on 2020 jobs, and summer internships .

The Census Bureau has established strong partnerships with these six major higher education partner 

organizations:

• American Council on Education .

• Association of American Universities . 

• National Organization of State Universities and 

Land Grant Colleges .

• National Association of Independent Colleges 

and Universities .

• American Association of State Colleges .

• American Association of Community Colleges .

These organizations reach over 95 percent of 

students attending universities and colleges .
Innovations for the 2020 Census 45 U.S. Census Bureau

( l to r) Megan Kindelan, Steven Dillingham, Jonathan Alger, Tim Olson.

Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham and Associate Director for Field Operations Tim Olson joined James Madison 

University President Jonathan Alger for a webcast on the role of colleges and universities in the 2020 Census. Megan Kindelan 

moderated the webcast.
46 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

COMPLEX HOUSEHOLDS AND THE UNDERCOUNT OF YOUNG CHILDREN

As part of a larger effort to 

eliminate undercounting people 

in the census, the Census Bureau 

has concentrated more efforts 

around counting complex households where more than one 

family live together or families that live in nontraditional 

arrangements . Previous census 

counts and subsequent differential undercount analysis have 

shown that people sometimes 

do not include everyone living in 

their homes . To address this, the 

Census Bureau has undertaken 

significant promotional and 

partnership work designed to 

encourage households to include 

every single person living in 

their home for the 2020 Census, 

and to ensure that no one is 

left off, either intentionally or 

inadvertently . 

Young children have been the 

 fastest-growing segment of the 

undercounted population in 

recent censuses . About 1 million 

young children, under the age 

of 5, were missed in the 2010 

Census, and the net undercount of young children has still 

increased since the 1970 Census . 

The undercount has been even 

higher for children born during 

the census year, and highest for 

those born near Census Day . This 

occurred across all demographics and all parts of the country, though it is slightly more 

common in rural and urban areas 

than in suburban ones . 

Census Bureau research has 

determined that the undercount 

of young children happens in two 

distinct ways:

• Families with young children miss the census questionnaire entirely . This can 

happen because these families are mobile, their lives are 

changing, or this may be the 

The Census Bureau has taken several steps in 2020 to improve the undercount of young children, 

about 4 percent of which have been missed in a traditional census count.
Innovations for the 2020 Census 47 U.S. Census Bureau

first census they have filled out so they may not 

entirely understand how it works . 

• Young children are undercounted when a 

household fills out a census questionnaire and 

accounts for the adults living at home, but a 

child is left off . 

There are myriad reasons young children are 

undercounted in complex family households . For 

people in larger families using paper questionnaires, they may simply have run out of room on 

the paper form . For people in complex households 

who expect the arrangement to be temporary, they 

often think the child may be counted in another 

location . Research from the Census Bureau found 

that some people think that young children do not 

actually count—they do not hold jobs or pay taxes, 

so they would not belong on a census form . 

The 2020 Census has dedicated significant 

resources through our advertising campaign to 

inform people that everyone in a household—

including very young children—should be counted 

on Census Day . These innovations include: 

• Communications and partnerships—where we 

can likely make the biggest impact on reducing 

the undercount . Many of these efforts are aimed 

toward complex households and hard-to-count 

populations .

• Production operations—improving operations 

of the 2020 Census in ways that are specifically targeted toward young children, including 

revised questionnaire language and logistics .

• Evaluation of what we were able to do in the 

2020 Census and preparing for continuations 

and improvements moving forward .

WHO IS AT RISK OF BEING UNDERCOUNTED?

Household or Child Characteristics Traditionally Undercounted Households

• Young children living in:

° Complex households (see column on right

° Rental units .

° A household that was not enumerated by 

self-response .

° A low-income household .

° A household with limited English-speakin

ability .

° Very small households (2 people) or in 

very large households (6 or more people) .

• Young children living with:

° A young householder (under age 30) .

° A grandparent .

• Young children who moved in the past year .

• Children born in the 3 months before 

Census Day (January 1 to April 1) .

)

g 

A complex household is a household that is not 

a nuclear family or single-parent family . Complex 

households include:

• Households with unrelated persons .

• Multigenerational households .

• Households with relatives other than parents 

and children .

• Blended families .

In the 2010 Census, 50 percent or more of 

children in the categories below were in complex 

households:

• Black/African American .

• American Indian/Alaska Native .

• Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander .

• Hispanic .
48 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

Communications and Partnerships

The initiative to improve the undercount of young 

children has also extended to all census materials 

and messaging surrounding 2020 . For the first time, 

there has been a concerted effort to include more 

images of young children in the internal and external communications and advertisements . There have 

been additional materials given specifically to young 

children, including a guide to counting young children, fact sheets, and frequently asked questions . 

For the first time, the Census Bureau has partnered 

with the U .S . Postal Service in targeting areas that 

have hard-to-count populations . The Census Bureau 

created a targeted “Every Door Direct Mailer” that 

will be sent to approximately 14 .3 million households . While this language and effort is designed to 

increase census participation for a wider audience, 

it is also expected to help hard-to-count populations include young children on their census questionnaires, with the repeated message that everyone counts in a household, no matter the age . 

The Census Bureau has expanded 2020 Census 

partnerships and communication efforts, including 

collaborating with organizations that work with 

families and young children . Strategic partnerships 

have been created with organizations that have 

both direct access and direct impact on families 

with young children, including the Federation of 

Pediatric Organizations (FOPO) and the National 

Diaper Bank . 

The Census Bureau is also creating an initiative with 

health care centers in hard-to-count census tracts 

to pass out census hats to babies born between 

January and March 2020, which are traditionally 

the most undercounted group during a decennial 

census . There will be cards at newborn intensive 

care units, so that babies born before Census 

Day, who have not yet left the hospital, will still be 

counted in their primary home residence .

Census hats will be given to newborn babies born in JanuaryMarch 2020. Babies born in those months are traditionally the 

most undercounted in the decennial census. 

The Census Bureau is hopeful that the advertising 

efforts communicating to families about the importance of counting young children will also communicate that all people living in a household—no matter 

their relation, or how temporary—should be counted 

on a census questionnaire . To assuage fears and 

dissuade families from intentionally leaving children off census forms, the 2020 Census advertising 

campaign has included myriad messages about how 

census data is not shared with anyone: not housing 

authorities, landlords, or immigration officials . 
Innovations for the 2020 Census 49 U.S. Census Bureau

Production Operations

For the 2020 Census, the language on the census 

questionnaire was clarified and improved . In selfreported responses, the language was changed 

to ask for information about “All people, including 

babies, who live and sleep here most of the time” 

instead of simply: “everyone living or staying at this 

address .”

The Census Bureau updated text on the Internet 

self-response option to include “babies and children of all ages (even newborns and infants) .” There 

is also a follow-up question to include “any additional people” with another reference to possible 

“grandchildren, unrelated children, newborn babies, 

or foster children .” And for the first time in 2020, 

the help text on the Internet self-response includes 

additional guidance about counting children . 

Example:

Using those guidelines, be sure to INCLUDE the 

following types of people if they will be living or 

staying at <ADDRESS> most of the time around 

<REFDATE>: 

Babies and children of all ages (even newborns and 

infants), including biological, step, and adopted 

children, as well as grandchildren, foster children, 

and children in joint custody arrangements .

Any other close or extended family members living 

there, even partners, grandparents, cousins, 

in-laws, etc . 

For 2020, the Census Bureau will provide updated 

training for Nonresponse Followup enumerators, 

Census Questionnaire Assistance (telephone) 

enumerators, and Coverage Improvement interviewers, which include specific mentions of counting children and a knowledge check for online 

training . 

Evaluation and Further Improvements 

Though the Census Bureau has made strides in 

closing the undercount differential of other demographics, there is still work to be done on the 

undercount of young children . With the dedicated 

communications and partnership work, the extra 

question specifically citing young children, and 

the additional resources put into the advertising 

campaign surrounding the issue, the Census Bureau 

is hopeful that fewer young children will be left off 

the 2020 Census . It is our goal that the undercount 

of young children begins to decrease . 

Innovations for the 2020 Census 51 U.S. Census Bureau

Chapter 4. 

Protecting the Census: 

IT Systems, Business Processes, and 

Data Confidentiality

As the technology surrounding the census 

increases, and as society becomes increasingly 

mobile relying more on technology for sensitive 

communication, the need for online protections and 

safeguards is paramount . The 2020 Census is the 

most technologically focused census in our nation’s 

history, and as a result, it required updates and 

innovation for IT systems, business processes, and 

data confidentiality .

There are four major components to protecting the 

Census, with respect to the online systems, data 

confidentiality, and data integrity:

1 . Cybersecurity .

2 . Combating fraud with a Quality Assurance 

operation .

3 . Protecting confidentiality .

4 . Creating a Trust and Safety Team .

CYBERSECURITY

As the cybersecurity landscape evolves, the Census 

Bureau works diligently to comply with maturing 

federal laws, policies, and directives as well as to 

implement leading cybersecurity practices that 

protect our networks and systems and ensure they 

remain resilient in the face of cyber threats . Across 

our network and systems, we have implemented a 

defense-in-depth approach that compartmentalizes 

our systems and provides multiple layers of protection for our data, applications, devices, network, 

and overall technology perimeter .

For our first line of defense against external threats, 

the Census Bureau leverages the U .S . Department 

of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Einstein capabilities, industry-leading solutions to filter incoming 

network traffic, as well as firewalls, internal filters, 

and geofencing . 

Secondly, all of our information technology infrastructure systems are further protected using 
52 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

the most current federal government standards 

published by the National Institute of Standards 

and Technology and the Department of Defense for 

securely configuring computer systems . 

Finally, our applications that manage respondent 

interaction and data processing are designed with 

integrated secure coding and maintained in line 

with federal security specifications . To identify any 

real-time threat actors potentially targeting our 

enterprise, our dedicated security experts, industry, 

and federal partners perform vulnerability scanning, conduct penetration testing, and search for 

malicious traffic to ensure sufficient protection and 

monitoring is operating as designed . 

Collaboration and Partnerships Across Agencies 

To complement the cybersecurity technology and 

expertise we have within the Census Bureau, we 

are actively collaborating with industry, federal 

partners, and the intelligence community to 

combat cyber threats . The DHS Cybersecurity 

and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and 

Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) teams have been 

particularly effective partners . CISA has conducted 

system security reviews, supported implementation 

of Trusted Internet Connection and Continuous 

Diagnostics and Mitigation programs, facilitated 

crisis management and incident response reviews, 

as well as proactive cyber hunt activities . I&A has 

served as the Census Bureau’s primary conduit to 

defense, intelligence, and law enforcement partners . With I&A, we have established intelligence 

collections requirements, held threat intelligence 

briefings, issued a threat intelligence report, and are 

working to build the U .S . Department of Commerce 

and Census Bureau cyber threat intelligence monitoring and analysis capabilities .

COMBATING FRAUD

Across government agencies, the threat of people 

attacking government data or online infrastructure 

is readily known and requires sophisticated, proactive steps to safeguard IT systems . In anticipation 

of attacks on census data, either by direct malevolence or by those seeking to alter the results, the 

Census Bureau created a Self-Response Quality 

Assurance operation (SRQA) designed to combat 

fraud and online attacks . 

The purpose of the Self-Response Quality 

Assurance operation is the identification of suspicious and potentially fraudulent self-responses 

submitted during the 2020 Census . SRQA is new 

for the 2020 Census, but in many ways it’s basically 

an extension of what we’ve always done to resolve 

duplicate responses . The methodology and operational details are administratively restricted and 

are only provided to those with a business need to 

know . 

SRQA has both automated and human interventions when suspicious individual or group 

responses are identified . The automated operations 

use statistical methodologies and interactive analysis to review self-responses . The human component relies on in-office analysts and Census Bureau 

employees in the field . Any findings will be shared 

with relevant and senior staff . 

PROTECTING PRIVACY IN THE DIGITAL AGE

The law protecting census responses is straightforward and strong: The Census Bureau cannot 

disclose information about specific individuals, 

households, and businesses . This includes both 

“direct” disclosure—leaking or sharing actual 

responses, and “indirect” disclosure—leaving identities in the statistics we publish vulnerable to exposure by not adequately protecting them .

For most of our history, census privacy protections 

focused on closing gaps on the direct disclosure 

side, such as passing laws that made it illegal for 

census staff to reveal respondent information, and 

strengthening those laws with strong penalties . The 

realization that indirect disclosure was as serious 

a threat didn’t emerge until the early 20th century, 

when a 1910 law required protections against indirect disclosure of business data . Those protections 

weren’t extended to data about individuals until 

1940 .

Ever since, the Census Bureau has worked to 

identify and stay ahead of these emerging indirect 

threats to personal privacy using protection methods we call “disclosure avoidance .”

For example, during the 1970 Census, it became 

clear that publishing detailed statistics for smaller 
Innovations for the 2020 Census 53 U.S. Census Bureau

areas would expose the identities of people who 

lived there . We chose to suppress (not publish) 

those data tables deemed at-risk, but it was a blunt 

and imperfect method .

In the decades that followed, we developed 

more sophisticated disclosure avoidance methods, designed to strike a better balance between 

publishing useful data while “disguising” the 

data we published using “statistical noise .” These 

so-called “traditional” methods focused only on 

data points deemed most vulnerable, and included 

swapping households between different areas, 

“top-coding” (setting values above a prespecified 

maximum to that value), injecting small amounts of 

noise, and collapsing data categories .

21st Century Threats Require 

21st Century Solutions

Today, in this new era of big data and powerful 

computers, protecting respondent data using 

traditional methods would be like trying to win a 

 lightning-speed game of whack-a-mole . A data 

point no longer needs to be a statistical outlier 

to be at risk . Smarter technology means all data 

are at risk, even when disguised using traditional 

methods .

Census Bureau researchers verified this during 

planning for the 2020 Census by simulating a 

“reidentification” attack on 2010 Census statistics . 

Using today’s technology, we were able to reconstruct the combination of data variables for each 

individual in the 2010 Census . We then took that 

reconstructed data and attempted to match it with 

2010-era commercially available data sources that 

had individuals’ names, ages, sex, and addresses .

We found that a sophisticated attacker could 

accurately re-identify an unacceptably high rate of 

respondents and households (about 17 percent) . 

The attacker wouldn’t know their ultimate success 

rate, as that information can only be known by the 

Census Bureau or by launching a comparable field 

effort . However, they could learn information such 

as a person’s race that was provided to the Census 

Bureau, or the ages, sex, and races of children that 

live on a block—information that is not typically 

available from private sources in the United States .

Because of this research, the Census Bureau determined that the traditional disclosure avoidance 

methods we’d been tweaking at the margins for the 

past 50 years were no longer viable . The amount of 

noise required to protect census data using the old 

methods today would render too much of the data 

unusable . A new approach was required .

Differential Privacy

The new 2020 Census Disclosure Avoidance System 

(2020 DAS) is based on the privacy concept known 

in scientific circles as “differential privacy .”

The new method allows us to precisely control 

the amount of uncertainty that we add according 

to privacy requirements . We describe differential 

privacy as being a kind of “formal privacy,” meaning that there is a mathematically formal definition 

of the confidentiality protection that the algorithm 

provides .

A differentially private system works by allocating 

a “privacy-loss budget” to all values in a data set . 

This budget can be set anywhere on a spectrum 

from “no accuracy but high protection” to “high 

accuracy but no protection .” Mathematically, that 

chosen point on the spectrum is represented by the 

Greek letter “epsilon .” Choosing the value of epsilon is a policy decision based on a desired balance 

between accuracy and confidentiality . The lower 

the epsilon value, the higher the protection and the 

less precise the published data points .

Unlike the traditional methods, the 2020 DAS documents the properties of this uncertainty, giving data 

users the information needed to judge whether the 

published estimates are sufficiently accurate for 

their needs .

Innovation Outputs

Ultimately, emerging threats require decisions 

about whether the level of detail provided in the 

past is sustainable . Even with the new safeguards, 

protecting privacy requires us to restructure many 

of the statistical tables that we publish . We are 

working with data users to help us identify the 

levels of precision and geography that are critical 

to providing data that meet their data needs to the 

greatest extent possible .
54 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

But the new safeguards also allow us to publish 

data that, without the new methods, would have 

been suppressed . The Opportunity Atlas, available 

at <https://opportunityinsights .org/data/>, is an 

example of a database using the new methods . It 

publishes “tract-level” data on intergenerational 

mobility by race and gender . The detail in these 

data would be impossible without formal privacy .

The Census Bureau was the first organization 

anywhere to implement an early version of differential privacy in the “OnTheMap” application in 

2008 that shows where workers live and work . 

More recently, Google, Apple, Microsoft, and other 

technology companies have adopted variations of 

differential privacy as the standard for protecting 

the confidentiality of some user data inside their 

companies .

The 2020 Census will be the world’s first largescale application of the new advanced protections . 

Applying the new system to the decennial census, 

which releases more than 150 billion statistics, is a 

complex engineering challenge . But in this digital 

era it is the best and indeed the only way to meet 

the Census Bureau’s legal obligation to protect 

respondent confidentiality while still producing 

required, useful data .

Many more people rely on social media, mobile 

phones, and digital platforms for their news and 

updates than they did during the 2010 Census . 

These tools, while useful, can also be used in 

misinformation and disinformation campaigns and 

negatively impact the public’s response to and 

participation in the 2020 Census

TRUST AND SAFETY TEAM TO COMBAT 

MISINFORMATION

The Census Bureau, along with many other government agencies, faces threats to its data, and extra 

precautions must be taken to protect the online 

information . There is also a nascent yet perennial 

“boycott the Census” movement, which our partner 

organizations help us combat .

The Census Bureau launched a Trust and Safety 

Team to combat misinformation and disinformation 

about the Census Bureau and the 2020 Census . 

The Census Bureau’s Trust and Safety Team is a 

cross-functional network of internal and external 

stakeholders that works together to protect the 

Census Bureau’s reputation and the public from 

efforts to undermine the count through misinformation and disinformation .

The Trust and Safety Team functions include:

• Threat analysis, mitigation, and containment .

• Technology partnership development .

• Support of public outreach and awareness 

campaigns .

• Social and traditional media monitoring .

Partnerships with big technology companies like 

Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon expand our 

ability to fight against misinformation and disinformation found across their products and ensure 

accurate 2020 Census information is searchable 

and readily available to the public . Civil society 

partnerships serve as an authentic source of 2020 

Census information and help the Census Bureau 

identify methods to mitigate the impact of misinformation and disinformation on hard-to-count 

populations .
Innovations for the 2020 Census 55 U.S. Census Bureau

Conclusion

The 2020 Census is the most tech-savvy, 

forward-thinking census in our nation’s history, and 

the path of innovation that led us here is likely to 

continue as our country becomes increasingly more 

reliant on mobile communication . Through effort 

and innovation, the 2020 Census has improved 

and streamlined how the census is run, the way we 

communicate with households, and how households respond to the questionnaire . 

In chronicling the innovations associated with the 

2020 Census, we have come to several conclusions:

1 . Technology is worth the time and effort . There is 

a cost upfront to invest in the infrastructure and 

data security safeguards, but in doing so, the 

Census Bureau expects to streamline operations 

and make it easier than ever to self respond . 

2 . Technology continues to outpace workplace 

evolution . Even as technology has rapidly 

increased over the years to become commonplace in workspaces, many institutions are still 

playing catch up . We believe the 2020 Census is 

using the most up-to-date technology possible, 

but we acknowledge that there will be technical 

advances with the 2030 Census that have not 

yet been considered or made known . 

3 . Innovation is an integral part of census history, 

and will be an integral part of its future . As 

chronicled here, innovation has been a major 

factor in how the census is conducted, and we 

anticipate the next census to rely on our findings and improve upon them . 

4 . There are still obstacles, in any census . Even 

as the Census Bureau works to improve our 

messaging, strengthen our partnerships, and 

correct in real time the way we communicate 

externally, there will remain people who are 

hard-to-count or decline to respond, for myriad 

reasons . As the Census Bureau focuses on innovation for future census counts, we must take 

into consideration the problems and hurdles 

that may not be present at this current time, or 

may evolve in their rationales . 

It is worth reiterating that this is an interim report, 

and the innovations documented here with their 

anticipated findings are preliminary . This innovations report will be updated as we execute the 

census, which has already begun enumeration 

(January 2020) . We anticipate a final report later 

this calendar year . 
56 Innovations for the 2020 Census

U.S. Census Bureau

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