Address Canvassers: Coming Soon to A Community Near You?

This blog is part of New America CA's series on the 2020 census. In this post, our guest author is Maria Filippelli, Public Interest Technology Census Fellow at New America.

Address canvassing — the first major field mobilization for the 2020 census – began this month. During address canvassing, the Census Bureau verifies the address and location of every housing unit in the country, including group quarters and transitory locations. For the first time, the Census Bureau has used satellite imagery to review 65% of addresses, leaving only 35% that will be updated through in-field address canvassing. This important operation has approximately 40,000 address canvassers walking streets throughout the nation and is key for a fair and accurate count.

This Hard to Count Map can show you if, where, and when address canvassing will take place in your neighborhood. Here’s how to use it:

Let’s take the census tract where I used to live, in the neighborhood of University Heights in San Diego. In 2010, it had a return rate of 70-73% — good but not great.

Clicking on the map legend, at the bottom right of the screen, pops up a map overlays button. From there, selecting the Address Canvassing layer shows areas in green, where address canvassers will be working. Clicking the “more information” button for your tract will give you an option to see details about the address canvassing planned there, as well as other useful info, like the community-based organizations working to ensure a complete count in your neighborhood.

Wondering if you’re seeing a canvasser in your community? They should have a photo ID badge from the Department of Commerce with a watermark and expiration date, and may also have a Census Bureau phone, laptop, and/or bag with the Census Bureau logo.

Additional Resources:
1. Visit censuscounts.org for more census information, especially regarding hard to count communities.
2. To speak to a Census Bureau representative, call 800-923-8282