census.gov Notification

Due to the lapse of federal funding, portions of this website are not being updated. Any inquiries submitted via www.census.gov will not be answered until appropriations are enacted.

Policies and Notices

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Policies and Notices

For general inquiries please check our Question and Answer Center or call 301-763-INFO(4636).

For genealogy questions, please see our Genealogy page.

Data Protection and Privacy Policy

The Census Bureau has several policies to ensure the data we collect are protected and your privacy is respected.
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)/Privacy Act (PA)

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. Sec. 552, allows any individual or organization access to government records through a FOIA request.
Open Government at the Census Bureau

The Open Government Program supports the Census Bureau's core mission through the principles of transparency, participation, and collaboration.
Evidence-Based Decision-Making at the Census Bureau

Learn how we support evidence-building across government, how we measure the effectiveness of our own work, and how we’re implementing the Evidence Act.
Scientific Integrity

The Census Bureau sets a high standard of scientific integrity by embracing a common set of professional standards and operational practices.
Information Quality

View information about our quality standards and correction procedures for information that does not comply with the guidelines.
No Fear Act

The No-FEAR Act covers anti-discrimination and whistleblower protection for federal employees.
Plain Writing

The Census Bureau is committed to writing its documents in plain language.
E-Gov Content Inventory

View the categories of information disseminated by the Census Bureau, as required by Section 207(f)(2) of the E-Government Act of 2002.
Accessibility Statement

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires Federal agencies to make their electronic and ICT accessible to people with disabilities.
Vulnerability Disclosure Policy

The DOC’s Vulnerability Disclosure Policy describes what systems and types of research are covered under this program and how to submit vulnerability reports.
Message Concerning Inappropriate Terms

Past census reports contain some terms that today’s readers may consider obsolete and inappropriate.
Citing our Data, Tools, Technical Documents, and Research

The Census Bureau has no specific style recommendation for citing our website information. Here are four commonly used style systems of documentation.
Corporate Identity and Branding Standards

August 27, 2025

The 2020 Census Brand Guidelines is a new guide that introduces the 2020 Census logo and tagline, a key messaging tool for the decennial census outreach effort.
Federal Register Notices (FRNs) and Collections of Information

Lists of pending and approved Census collections of information at www.reginfo.gov.
American Indian and Alaska Native Policy

October 12, 2009

This Policy outlines the principles to be followed in all Census Bureau interactions with federally recognized AIAN tribal governments.
Scheduled Down Time

Any planned or scheduled downtime for www.census.gov and other Census web sites can be found here.
Web Browser Requirements

New browsers are more compatible with websites and provide stronger protection against security issues.

Page Last Revised - December 16, 2021

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