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Census Day in the Houston and Los Angeles Areas

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Today is Census Day for Harris County, Texas and Los Angeles County, Calif., the two sites taking part in the 2016 Census Test. Almost 225,000 households in each location have received a notification by mail asking them to complete the questionnaire. During the decennial census, Census Day – April 1 – provides the reference day for measuring the population; we’re using the same reference day for the 2016 Census Test.

The 2016 Census Test is part of the extensive research and testing that will help us make key decisions about how we will carry out the next census. From 2012 through 2015, we conducted seven census tests across the country that informed our 2020 Census Operational Plan. The test underway in Texas and California is a large-scale implementation of innovations from the 2020 Census Operational Plan.

The 2020 Census will be easy to respond to, because it will be our most automated and technologically advanced census ever. In 2020, Americans will be able to respond from anywhere – by mail, phone, or online using a laptop, tablet or smartphone. We’re replacing paper and pencil with mobile devices for enumerators who visit nonresponding households. We’ll also count people using information they have already given to the government, if they don’t respond after we’ve provided them with multiple opportunities to participate. The 2016 Census Test is a vital step in operationalizing all of these innovations. Based on its results, we’ll refine many of the innovative and cost-saving procedures and methods in the plan for use in 2020.

We’re now more than halfway to 2020, and we’re planning, researching, testing, and getting feedback to ensure that responding to the census is easy and secure. By using the innovations that are laid out in the 2020 Census Operational Plan and that are being tested in 2016, we’ll be able to avoid an estimated $5 billion in costs (compared to the projected cost of using the same methods as the 2010 Census).

If you live in Harris County or Los Angeles County, I encourage you to learn more about the 2016 Census Test by visiting www.census.gov/2016censustest. The 2020 Census will be unlike any other in our history. Your participation is critical to testing the innovations that will make the 2020 Census easier than ever to respond to, save taxpayers money, and ensure a complete and accurate census. Happy Census Day!

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Page Last Revised - December 16, 2021
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