Everyone residing in the United States of American on April 1, 2020, should be counted in the Census, regardless of age or residency status. Even the baby born on April 1, 2020 should be counted!
From the US Census Bureau:
If you are filling out the census for your home, you should count everyone who is living there as of April 1, 2020. This includes any friends or family members who are living and sleeping there most of the time. If someone is staying in your home on April 1, and has no usual home elsewhere, you should count them in your response to the 2020 Census. Please also be sure to count roommates, young children, newborns, and anyone who is renting a space in your home. These people are often missed in the census. This means they can miss out on resources for themselves and their communities over the next 10 years.
Where should individuals be counted?
Jump to your section (or just scroll down):
- Babies Born on Census Day
- Young Children
- People who move on Census day
- Visitors on Census day
- Foreign citizens in the United States
- Students
- US military personnel
- People in shelters
- People displaced by natural disasters
- People in prisons and correctional facilities
- People in healthcare facilities
- People living in RV parks, hotels, and other transitory locations
Babies born on or before April 1, 2020, should be counted at the home where they will live or sleep most of the time, even if they are still in the hospital. Babies born after April 1, 2020, should not be counted in the 2020 Census.
If you have children in your home, make sure they are counted in the right place.
The general rule is: Count children in the home where they live and sleep most of the time, even if their parents do not live there.
If children spend time in more than one home, count them where they stay most often. If their time is evenly divided, or if you do not know where they stay most often, count them where they are staying on April 1, 2020.
If you are helping to take care of a friend's or family member's child, and the child does not have a permanent place to live, count the child if he or she is staying with you on April 1, 2020—even if it's only temporary.
People who move on Census day
People who are moving should count themselves just once, in one home.
- If they move into their new residence on April 1, 2020, they should count themselves at that residence.
- If they move out of their old residence on April 1, 2020, but have not yet moved into their new home, they should count themselves at their old residence.
Whether to count a visitor depends on the type of visitor. Visitors who are in your home on April 1, 2020, but who will return to their normal residence should be counted where they live and sleep most of the time. Residents of foreign countries who are visiting the United States on vacation or business on April 1, 2020, should not be counted.
Foreign citizens in the United States 
Citizens of foreign countries who are living in the United States, including members of the diplomatic community, should be counted at the U.S. residence where they live and sleep most of time.
Citizens of foreign countries who are visiting the United States on vacation or business on April 1, 2020, should not be counted.
Boarding school students below the college level should be counted at the home of their parents or guardians.
College students – Check out https://www.ncdemography.org/2020/03/02/where-are-college-students-counted-for-the-2020-census/ for more information.
|
Where college students live |
Where college students are counted |
|
If you live in an on-campus dorm |
You are counted at your dorm address |
|
If you live in an off-campus dorm |
You are counted at the address where you live |
|
If you live with your parents |
You are counted at your parents’ home |
|
If you are studying abroad on April 1 |
You are not counted in the Census |
|
If you are a foreign citizen living and attending college in the US |
You are counted at your on- or off- campus address |
People who live in housing units at military installations will be able to respond to the 2020 Census online, by phone, or by mail—just like those who live outside military installations.
The Census Bureau will ensure that military personnel who live in places such as barracks or military campgrounds are all counted, in much the same way that the Census Bureau counts others living in group quarters, such as students in university housing. Please visit Counting People in Group Living Arrangements for more information.
Military personnel who are temporarily deployed overseas should be counted at their usual home address in the United States.
People who are living in emergency and transitional shelters that provide sleeping facilities for people experiencing homelessness should be counted at the shelter. Please visit Counting People in Group Living Arrangements for more information.
People displaced by natural disasters
People displaced by natural disasters should be counted where they live and sleep most of the time. If they do not have a residence where they usually live and sleep, they should be counted where they are staying on April 1, 2020.
People in prisons and correctional facilities
People who are living in any of the following on April 1, 2020, should be counted at the facility:
- Correctional residential facilities.
- Federal detention centers.
- Federal and state prisons
- Local jails and other municipal confinement facilities.
Please visit Counting People in Group Living Arrangements for more information.
People in healthcare facilities
The following patients should be counted at the residence where they live and sleep most of the time, rather than at the facility:
- Patients in hospitals for routine stays.
- Patients at Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals (except for psychiatric units).
- Patients at in-patient hospice facilities.
- Newborn babies (who should be counted where they will live).
The following patients should be counted at the health care facility in which they're staying on April 1, 2020:
- People with no usual home.
- People in psychiatric hospitals or psychiatric units for long-term, nonacute care.
- People in nursing facilities.
Please visit Counting People in Group Living Arrangements for more information.
People living in RV parks, hotels, and other transitory locations
If you are living or staying at a campground, a recreational vehicle park, a marina, a hotel, or another transitory location, the Census Bureau has a special process for how you should respond to the 2020 Census. Please visit How Are People Counted at RV Parks, Campgrounds, and Other Transitory Locations? for more information.
For More Information: https://2020census.gov/en/who-to-count.html