U.S. Census Bureau encourages everyone to ‘Stop the Knock’
by U.S. Census Bureau
August 5, 2020
The U.S. Census Bureau is inviting Wyomingites to join in our STOP THE KNOCK campaign. The campaign kicked off earlier this week and is designed to encourage residents to respond to the Census now, to lessen the possibility of a Census employee knocking on their door this month.
Currently the state of Wyoming holds a 57.4 percent self-response rate, which is below the national average of 63.1 percent.
Households can still self-respond now by completing and mailing back the paper questionnaire they received, by responding online at www.2020census.gov, or by phone at 844-330-2020 (English). Households can also respond online or by phone in one of 13 languages and find assistance in many more.
CENSUS TAKERS IN NEIGHBORHOODS
Census takers will start working next week in neighborhoods throughout Wyoming. They will be visiting households that have not yet self-responded to the Census, to assist residents in completing their 2020 Census and collecting responses. Census takers will follow local public health guidelines, will be wearing masks, and are trained on social distancing protocols.
Census takers are hired from local communities. All census takers speak English, and some are bilingual. If a census taker does not speak the householder’s language, the household may request a return visit from a census taker who does. Census takers will also have materials on hand to help identify the household’s language.
If no one is home when the census taker visits, they will leave a notice of their visit with information about how to respond online, by phone or by mail.
Census takers can be identified by a valid government ID badge with their photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date on the badge. To confirm a census taker’s identity, the public may contact the Denver/Dallas Regional Census Center at 1-800-852-6159.
RURAL WEEK OF ACTION
The Census Bureau is calling for all communities to stand up and be counted. The Rural Week of Action is targeting rural communities across Wyoming by reaching out to community leaders, business owners and residents to encourage their neighbors to respond now to the 2020 Census.
Rural communities count on Census data. Census responses provide data that can attract new businesses and the jobs that come with them. It also helps to disperse billions of dollars in federal funding. That includes money for things like:
• Emergency Management/Disaster Relief
• Rural Education
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
• Medicare Part B
• State wildlife grants
• Rural business enterprise grants
• Critical Infrastructure
Census data is also used to determine representation in Congress, to make sure rural voices are heard.
Every household is encouraged to respond now. It’s not too late to self-respond, online at 2020census.gov, by phone at 844-330-2020 (English) or by mailing back the paper form that was delivered to their household.
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