Census Work Has Begun; Residents Should Follow Safety Precautions

TUCSON, AZ – Pima County reported last week that work on the April 1, 2020 census has already begun in Tucson and the local region. The County advises residents to follow specific safety and security precautions, and asks everyone to cooperate with census workers.

Census field workers last week started address canvassing for the 2020 census in Tucson and surrounding areas. While technology has helped census workers locate every place people could be staying or residing, sometimes census workers are also required to visit a lot of areas themselves. These on-the-ground visits enable them to compare a computer-generated census address list with what they find in person, in an effort to ensure everyone receives census questionnaires that they can then respond to by phone, mail or online. Nearly 35 percent of existing addresses currently need in-person verification. Later, if a resident doesn’t submit a completed questionnaire, then census workers are also required to visit the address.

If residents see someone in their neighborhood or at their door who self-identifies as a census worker, Tucsonians are advised to be aware of some safety precautions and guidelines. First, census workers wear ID badges listing their name, an expiration date, a photograph and a Department of Commerce watermark. Official census field workers also carry an official laptop or bag displaying a census logo. Census workers also carry and can show residents a Census bureau letter on official letterhead detailing the reason the worker is at your residence. Performing field work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., census workers can, upon request, even give residents the contact information for the Census Bureau Regional Office or their supervisor’s contact information.

Pima County is requesting that everyone, even those living in gated communities, cooperate with the 2020 census field workers, as census data collected is a factor in transportation planning, legislative redistricting, community assistance programs and funding decisions. It also helps local officials when making economic development decisions, Pima County reports.