Counting College Students for the 2020 Census in Colorado

ON-campus housing vs. OFF-campus housing

2020 Census Logo from US Census Bureau Facebook

This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.

Due to the early closure of some college campuses this year - or the shift to online classes, the Census Bureau wants to be sure that all college students in Colorado are counted once, only once, and in the right place.

College students will still be counted where they live and are enrolled in college (as of April 1, 2020), even if campuses closed early for the Spring semester or shifted to virtual learning for the remainder of the semester. In general, college students should be counted according to the residence criteria (where they live and sleep most of the time).

ON-campus vs. OFF-campus

On-campus housing: Students who live in college-owned housing (such as dormitories, Greek housing) do not need to do anything - other than tell their parents/guardians not to include them in their household response. The Census Bureau is working with Colorado universities and colleges to make sure all students who live(d) in on-campus housing are counted.
Off-campus housing: Students who live in off-campus housing (apartments, condos, etc.) should have received an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census in the mail. College students who were away from their usual off-campus residences when the invitation arrived should still respond at 2020census.gov. NOTE: Everyone living at the same address will be counted on one questionnaire.

ABOUT THE 2020 CENSUS

The 2020 Census is a short questionnaire that asks about who lives in your household as of April 1, 2020.
The 2020 Census requires counting a diverse and growing population in the United States and the five U.S. territories.
The 2020 Census is important because it will determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives, inform hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding, and provide data that will impact communities for the next decade.
Responding to the 2020 Census is safe and secure. Individual responses are confidential
and protected by law.
Households that have not yet responded should expect to receive a final reminder invitation (postcard) in the mail in early May.
The Census Bureau is currently taking steps to reactivate field data collection operations after June 1, 2020.
Later this year, the U.S. Census Bureau plans to send census takers to visit households that have not yet responded to the 2020 Census to help them complete questionnaires.
The current deadline to respond to the 2020 Census is October 31, 2020.