What Census Day Is. April 1 — Census Day — is the reference day for the 2020 Census. We use this day to determine who is counted and where in the 2020 Census.
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- In general, you should count yourself where you live and sleep most of the time.
- When responding, count any children, including newborns, who usually live and sleep at your home–even if they’re not your own. If they split time evenly between two households, count them where they are on April 1, 2020.
- Parents and guardians should include babies on census forms, even if they are still in the hospital on April 1.
- College students, including international students, should be counted.
- In general, students in colleges and universities temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 virus will still be counted as part of this process.
- Per the Census Bureau’s residence criteria, in most cases students living away from home at school should be counted at school, even if they are temporarily elsewhere due to the COVID-19 pandemic. .
- Even if they are home on census day, April 1, they should be counted where they live and sleep most of the time according to the residence criteria.
- Foreign citizens who are in the U.S. most of the time should be counted. They shouldn’t be counted if they are temporarily visiting the U.S. on vacation or business on April 1.
- What Census Day Is Not. Census Day is not the first or the last day to respond to the 2020 Census.
- We want you to fill out the census as soon as you can — but we are taking responses for the next several months. Households now have until August 14 to fill out the census.
- Reminder: The 2020 Census is available in your language! The 2020 Census questionnaire is online on my2020census.gov. The Census Bureau has created this video and this Assistance Guide, to help you with each question.