Haven’t taken the census yet? Here’s when you can expect a knock on your door in Centre County
Census takers will start to show up in Centre County, and much of central Pennsylvania, in two weeks to knock on doors and follow-up with those who have not yet filled out the census, the U.S. Census Bureau announced Wednesday.
Starting the week of July 20, masked census takers will arrive in six areas around the country — central Pennsylvania, eastern Connecticut, south Indiana, Kansas, Tacoma in Washington and Crystal City in Virginia — and will conduct interviews with those who are home. For those who are not home, a notice will be left on how to respond via phone, mail or online.
Central Pennsylvania is one of the first areas in the country to see census takers. Most areas will see them Aug. 11, and all census offices are expected to conclude their work by Oct. 31.
Census takers can be identified by a government ID badge with their photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark and an expiration date on the badge. Those concerned about potential scams can also call the regional Philadelphia office to confirm the census taker’s identity at (267) 780-2600.
To avoid having someone knock on your door, you can complete the census by mailing back the questionnaire, responding online at 2020census.gov or by calling 844-330-2020. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 62.1% of Centre County residents have responded online, by mail or by phone so far — slightly below Pennsylvania’s self-response rate of 65.2%.
The U.S. Constitution mandates a census of the population every 10 years. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, census statistics are used to determine the number of seats each state holds in the U.S. House of Representatives and informs how billions of dollars in federal funds will be allocated by state, local and federal lawmakers annually for the next 10 years.
You can find more information at 2020census.gov.
This story was originally published July 9, 2020 at 3:19 PM.
