The 2020 Census “Self-Response Phase” has been extended out to October 31, 2020, which means that outreach efforts will continue through the coming months. The Chester County Complete County Committee (CCC) is adapting to these changes and will keep pursuing outreach through the summer. The Census Bureau has published a revised schedule for 2020.
Some key revised benchmarks are:
- Self-Response Phase (Online, phone and mailed self-responses): March 12 – October 31
- Group Quarters (E-Response & Paper Enumeration): April 2 – September 3
- Update Leave (Census takers drop off invitations to respond): Started May 4
- Nonresponse Followup (Census takers interview households in person): August 11 – October 31
To publicize this schedule change, the Planning Commission created flyer addressing how the Census Bureau will conduct operations over the summer in keeping with COVID-19 safety guidelines.
From now until October, Chester County residents can be counted in the 2020 Census in three ways:
- Fill out a form online at 2020census.gov, which can be done with a Census ID number or simply by entering a mailing address.
- Fill out the census over the phone by calling 844-330-2020.
- Fill out the form with the assistance of one of the census workers (known as “enumerators”) who will be visiting non-responding households in person.
We are also happy to report that Chester County continues to be a statewide leader in terms of residents who have already responded to the Census. As of May 19, 2020, the census response rate for Chester County is 71.8%. The total PA response rate is 62.7%, and the national average is 59.7%. View census response rate updates.
Planning Commission staff continue to work remotely. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us at 610-344-6285 or chescocensus@chesco.org.
