Census workers are coming to Columbus homes. Here’s what you need to know.
Employees for the U.S. Census Bureau may soon arrive on your doorstep in an effort to refine addresses ahead of next year’s census.
Throughout the next 10 weeks, address listers, also known as canvassers, will walk around various areas throughout Muscogee and surrounding counties to determine the current status of a number of addresses before the census is mailed out in early 2020, according to a release from Columbus Consolidated Government.
The Census is done every 10 years, as is mandated by the Constitution. Anybody living in the United States, the five U.S. territories or the District of Columbia are required by law to fill out the census, which is used to determine federal funding, the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House and more.
This is the first year that the Census can be filled out online, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Here are the things you need to know as canvassers begin their work in the area.
1) All address listers are from the area and will be clearly identifiable
According to a fact sheet from census.gov, all address listers will present an ID badge, a watermark from the U.S. Department of Commerce, as well as an expiration date before any questions are asked. Address listers might also carry other Census Bureau gear like a bag with the logo, or a laptop with a Census Bureau sticker on it.
2) Not every home or address will be visited
In past years, address listers would go down every single block in the United States to check on addresses. In recent years, the Bureau has updated their technology and split canvassing into two parts: in-office and in-field.
In-office canvassing uses satellite imagery, something similar to Google Maps, to compare areas and changes in housing, according to an Address Canvassing 101 fact sheet. In-field canvassing, which will take place between now and mid-October, will only make stops in areas that couldn’t be confirmed using the in-office satellite imagery.
Some of the areas in-field canvassers will be focusing on are south of Victory Drive, near Saint Mary’s Road and near Weems Road and Veterans Parkway.
3) Address listers might stop by your residence later, even if they didn’t the first time they came through the area
You might be skipped by in-field canvassers when they initially come through, but if you haven’t filled out the 2020 Census by May 2020, they could show up at your door to make sure that you have filled out the form.
Address listers might also be in your area to do quality checks regarding the census, drop off census related materials or gather responses for other surveys.
The Census Bureau will alert every household by April 2020, either over the phone, by mail or online, to fill out the 2020 Census.
As of 2018, according to the Census Bureau’s 2018 American Community Survey, the Columbus metro area’s population stands at 307,149, with the median age of an individual living in the area being 35.2.
This story was originally published September 27, 2019 at 12:15 PM.