The U.S. Constitution mandates that everyone in the country be counted every 10 years. The first census was in 1790.
The distribution of more than $675 billion in federal funds, grants and support to states, counties and communities are based on census data. That money is spent on schools, hospitals, roads, public works and other vital programs.
The Census letter you received in the mail includes a Census ID number. Please go to my 2020census.gov (link) by April 1st to fill out your Census. You will be asked to enter your Census ID. If you didn’t receive an ID, you can still fill out the questionnaire by entering your address.
It should not take you more than 5-10 minutes to fill out. No personal information will be shared and you are not asked for any sensitive information such as your Social Security number.
You can also complete your questionnaire by phone: 1-844-330-2020. However, due to the Coronavirus, there are fewer representatives at the call centers so wait times will be greatly increased.
Paper questionnaires will be sent out in mid-April if you prefer not to fill your questionnaire online or over the phone.
We’ve attached additional information in both English and Spanish:
English Census 101 (PDF)
Spanish Census 101 (PDF)
At the March 23 Town Board meeting, John Penney, Chairperson of the Dutchess County Complete Count Committee, hosted a Census 2020 workshop. You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/w6ZVie8aKMA?t=1458 (link)
If you have any further questions, you can email the Dutchess County Complete Count Committee: completecount@dutchessny.gov