Verify a Census Bureau Survey, Mailing, or Contact
Verify a Census Bureau Survey, Mailing, or Contact
Please note that the Census Bureau will never ask for your full social security number, bank account number, or passwords.
If you require immediate assistance with verifying a survey is conducted by the Census Bureau, contact the Census Bureau Regional Office for your state or the Customer Service Center for more information.
In addition to conducting the decennial census count, the Census Bureau conducts various surveys that study households, businesses, schools, hospitals, and more. These statistics deliver valuable information for local officials and organizations who provide resources and services to your community.
If you have been contacted to participate in a survey and want to verify that it is legitimate, you can search the Census Bureau’s list of surveys by name.
The name of the Census Bureau survey may be provided in the following ways:
- In a mailing from the Census Bureau.
- By a caller from the Census Bureau.
- By a field representative.
If you receive a survey or a letter in the mail from the Census Bureau, the envelope contains information that will help you verify its legitimacy. For example:
- “U.S. Census Bureau” in the return address or “U.S. Department of Commerce” which is the Census Bureau’s parent agency.
- Jeffersonville, IN in the return address. The Census Bureau has a mail processing center located there.
Every year, the Census Bureau conducts over 100 surveys that collect statistics on households, businesses, hospitals, and more.
For information on whether a survey has the option to be completed online, please visit the survey’s webpage. Information for responding to a survey online is mailed to your address, including how to register online and/or log in.
You may also receive a reminder letter from one of our regional offices or Census Bureau headquarters in the Washington, D.C. area.
Verify an Email or Text Message is from the Census Bureau
Some Census Bureau surveys or censuses contact respondents via text message or email. Below you can find how to verify that a text message or email is legitimately from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Census Bureau will never ask for your full Social Security number, bank account numbers, or passwords.
Completing the survey: Emails from the Census Bureau will have instructions or information to complete the survey, such as online, by phone with a Census Bureau representative, or by paper. The Census Bureau will NOT ask you to provide your personal information via email.
The Census Bureau will never ask for your full Social Security number, bank account number, or passwords.
Check the “From” email address: Emails from the Census Bureau are sent from the official @census.gov domain.
Verify the email sender: To verify that someone who has emailed you is a Census Bureau field representative, you can enter their name in the Census Bureau Staff Search database that lists the name and contact information for all Census Bureau employees.
You can also contact the local Census Bureau Regional Office that services your state.
Text Messages
Completing the survey: Some surveys may contact you via text message with a link to complete the survey online at our secure website.
The Census Bureau will never ask for your full Social Security number, bank account number, or passwords.
Verify the sender of the text message: To verify that someone who has texted you is a Census Bureau field representative, you can enter their name in the Census Bureau Staff Search database that lists name and contact information for all Census Bureau employees. Note: We do not publish the cell phone numbers of our field representatives in our staff search directory.
You can also contact the local Census Bureau Regional Office that services your state.
To opt out of receiving automated texts, reply "STOP". (Note: Mobile text message and data rates may apply).
How to identify a Census Bureau field representative
If you are visited by someone from the Census Bureau, they may be a field representative working on a Census Bureau survey. The Census Bureau conducts over 100 surveys throughout the country every year.
Here are some ways you can verify an individual is a Census Bureau employee:
- The field representative will present an ID badge that includes:
- their name,
- their photograph,
- a Department of Commerce watermark, and
- an expiration date.
- They will have an official bag and Census Bureau-issued electronic device, such as a laptop or smartphone, bearing the Census Bureau logo.
- Field representatives conduct their work between the hours of 9am and 9pm, local time.
For Census Bureau surveys, Census Bureau field representatives report to one of six Regional Offices across the country. If you wish to independently confirm that the person at your door is a Census Bureau field representative conducting a household survey you can enter their name in the Census Bureau’s staff directory search website, or contact the Regional Office for your state.
How to identify a phone call from the Census Bureau
The Census Bureau conducts over 100 surveys in addition to the decennial census count. If your address was selected to participate in one of these surveys, we may call you to participate. Some surveys are done exclusively by phone. We might also call you if we do not find you at home or when a personal visit is not convenient. You may receive a call from one of our contact centers or from a field representative.
Contact centers, household surveys
For household surveys, the Census Bureau uses two contact centers: one in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and the other in Tucson, Arizona. The caller will identify themselves and the name of the survey. If they are unable to reach you, they will leave a message with a case ID associated with your survey.
Most Census Bureau calls asking you to participate in a survey originate from one of the following numbers:
- (812) 218-3144, Jeffersonville Contact Center
- (520) 798-4152, Tucson Contact Center
If you receive a call and wish to independently verify that a number is from the Census Bureau, you can call one of the following numbers:
- 1-800-523-3205 Jeffersonville, IN
- 1-800-642-0469 Tucson, AZ
- 1-800-923-8282 Customer Service Center
Field representatives
Field representatives who do in-person interviews may also call you. To verify that a caller is a Census Bureau field representative, you can enter their name in the Census Bureau Staff Directory Search, a database that lists name and contact information for all Census Bureau employees.
We do not publish the cell phone numbers of our field representatives on our staff search website. Census Bureau field representatives report to one of six Regional Offices across the country.
Related Information
