F.A.Q's for students
How will the 2020 Census impact college students?
In the United States Census, EVERYONE COUNTS. College students included. College students are counted as where they are living on April 1, 2020, not where they came from.
If a student is living away from home, where are they counted?
If a student is residing in a dorm on April 1, 2020, they will be counted by the school. Students who live in off-campus housing should respond to the census along with all roommates. If a student is residing with their parents at that time, they will be counted as part of their parents' household.
Who will count students in dorms?
If a student is living on campus, the dorms will be counted by the housing facility. They will be counted as “group quarters." Administrators will work with local 2020 Census office staff to collect the information for the students in the dorm, Those students will not respond directly to the Census Bureau.
Who will count students living off-campus?
Students who live off-campus will respond to the census individually. Students with roommates can select a "team leader" to act as the head of the household and to fill out the forms, or all roommates can fill out the forms individually.
Are foreign and exchange students counted?
Yes. The census is a "snapshot in time" on April 1, 2020. If they are residing at the school, either on campus or off, all foreign and exchange students get counted as part of the school population. (Foreigners on short vacations are not counted.)
What happens if parents count their college students at home?
The Bureau runs systems to de-duplicate data as much as they can, so if parents count a student who is on campus, the incorrect count will get eliminated. Students who have completed their own census may want to remind their parents not to count them.
Are college students eligible for Census jobs?
Yes! The Bureau is hiring! College students are eligible to apply to the many part-time and temporary US Census jobs. Librarians can help point them to employment opportunities here: https://2020census.gov/en/jobs
ACS, Decennial? What are they and what's the difference?
From 1790-2000, the Census collected data every 10 years. This is the Decennial Census, and from 1790 forward gave researchers a statistical picture of the United States. However, one of the drawbacks of collecting data in this way is its currency: various factors can cause a geographic area to change dramatically in a short time, and relying on official census statistics that are 3+ years old could pose a problem. Researchers, local governments and others wanted reliable statistics on a more frequent basis.
In 2005, the Census Bureau began gathering data in a new way: the American Community Survey. This survey is intended to provide the public with a current statistical average of a geographic area over 1-year, 3-year and 5-year time periods (the 3-year ACS ended in 2014 due to budgetary issues). The time periods correspond to data precision, availability by geography, and currency:
And what happened to the Decennial census? Its still around, but the number of questions asked (and therefore the amount of data collected) is very limited compared with the ACS.