APRIL 2, 2020 — Many households across Puerto Rico will receive a letter by mail from the U.S. Census Bureau this week inviting them to respond to the 2020 Census. Later, census takers will drop off census materials to all Puerto Rico households.

In keeping with guidance from public health officials in Puerto Rico, the Census Bureau suspended hand-delivering census invitations and paper forms to households in mid-March because of health and safety concerns with COVID-19. The previously planned letters will provide a Census ID to help people respond.

If you receive one of these letters, please respond online using the Census ID provided or call the toll-free number included. Using this ID when you respond is essential for ensuring you are counted in the right place — where you usually live.

If you do not receive a letter in the mail, the Census Bureau will drop off a census invitation and paper form as soon as it is safe to do so. Census takers will also follow up with all households that do not respond on their own.

If you are one of the few households that received census materials at your door before the Census Bureau had to delay hand delivering them to everyone, please respond online using the Census ID in the invitation or complete and mail back the paper form included in the packet.

The Census Bureau is consulting with public health officials to determine when it is safe to resume dropping off census materials door to door. The effort was originally planned to occur from March 15 through April 17.

The U.S. Constitution mandates a census of the population every 10 years. The goal of the 2020 Census is to count everyone who lives in the United States as of April 1, 2020 (Census Day). Census statistics inform how billions of dollars in federal funds will be allocated annually for the next 10 years. 

For more information, visit 2020census.gov. 

###