2020 Census

What is the census?

Every 10 years, as mandated by the Constitution, the nation undergoes a count of everyone living in the United States. This is known as the census.

The census is the cornerstone of our democracy, determining everything from congressional representation to the amount of funding distributed to communities across the nation.

I strongly encourage everyone to participate in this year’s census and make sure their community’s voice is heard. This is vital for California. Please do your part. 

The Census Bureau is in the process of hiring people to help complete the 2020 Census. If you are interested in applying for a part-time job with the Census Bureau, find more information here: https://2020census.gov/en/jobs.

Proclamation by Senators Feinstein and Harris in support of a complete and accurate 2020 census:

            “The United States Constitution requires that a census be taken every ten years to count all residents of the United States. An accurate census is vital to the prosperity of our state and country. The census affects both the allocation of billions of dollars in federal and state funding for Californians as well as our congressional representation.

            The census is a critical tool that protects our communities. Census results guide planning for hospitals and health services, determine the location of schools and child care centers, and influence decision making for transportation and housing needs, among many other issues.

            Because millions of Californians live in “hard-to-count” neighborhoods, a robust outreach and awareness campaign is necessary to ensure a full count of all California residents to benefit our communities.

            As U.S. Senators from California, we support a complete, fair, and accurate 2020 Census and proclaim our commitment to achieving this goal.

            Census participation is important and safe. The 2020 Census does not contain a citizenship question. Residents’ legal status will not be asked or documented. We encourage all California residents to respond to the Census.

            Importantly, federal law protects the confidentiality of census responses and census data can only be released in an anonymous, statistical form.

            Federal law also prohibits the sharing of individual or household data with any governmental agency for any purpose or any reason, including law enforcement and immigration enforcement.

            Therefore, we urge all California residents to participate in the census. Californians’ participation in the 2020 Census is essential to ensure our state and communities receive the critical resources and political representation we deserve.”

Find more information about the census here: