Census takers will begin fanning out in Cathedral City to make sure that the thousands of area residents who have not yet responded to the 2020 U.S. Census are counted. Just under two-thirds of all California households have responded online, by phone or by mail, but the response rates are significantly lower in many parts of Southern California.
On the county level, response rates are only 62.3% in Riverside County compared to a 65% self-response rate across the golden state.
Because the deadline to respond is September 30, Census Bureau officials are urging households to respond before the census taker comes to your door. You can respond now by completing and mailing back the paper questionnaire you received, by responding online at 2020census.gov, or by phone at (844) 330-2020 for English, and (844) 468-2020 for Spanish. Households can respond in one of 13 languages and find assistance in many more. Those who respond will not need to be visited to obtain their census response.
What Households Can ExpectÂ
Census takers will follow local public health guidelines when they visit. They will be wearing masks and will have completed a virtual COVID-19 training on social distancing protocols and other health and safety guidance before beginning their work in neighborhoods.
They will ask you a few questions including the name, age, race and sex of everyone who lived in your household on April 1, 2020, and enter your answers on their secure Census Bureau phone. You will not be asked for your Social Security number, bank information or citizenship status, and no information will be shared with immigration or law enforcement agencies. If no one is home when the census taker visits, the census taker will leave a notice of their visit with information about how to respond online, by phone or by mail.
How to Identify Census Takers Â
Census takers can be easily identified by a valid government ID badge with their photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date on the badge. To confirm a census taker’s identity, the public may contact the Los Angeles Regional Census Center at 213-314-6500 to speak with a Census Bureau representative.
Why Is it Important to Respond to the 2020 Census?Â
The U.S. Constitution mandates a census of the population every 10 years. The goal of the 2020 Census is to count everyone who lived in the United States on April 1, 2020 (Census Day). Census statistics are used to determine the number of seats each state holds in the U.S. House of Representatives and also determines how billions of dollars in federal funds for schools, roads, emergency service, health care and other services will be allocated by state, local and federal lawmakers each year for the next decade.
For more information, visit 2020census.gov.
