Census workers going door to door in some PWC areas gathering address information

Prince William County Demographer Brian Engelmann has announced that workers from the US Census Bureau will be in the field doing some preliminary work through the middle of October.

According to a county news release, the census workers, called “address canvassers,” are a part of the U.S. Census Bureau’s In-Field Canvassing Operations and will be out and about to verify household addresses so they can send out the Census invitations to every household starting in March 2020.

The canvassers need to go out to specific neighborhoods to verify the addresses that can’t be determined by using GIS maps, Engelmann said. “The canvassers will ask a few questions to verify the address and inquire about any additional living quarters on the property for inclusion in the Census process.”

Visit http://census.gov search “Surveys/Programs” and then “2020 Census Operational Information” to find an interactive, in-field address canvassing viewer map.

An official Census Bureau worker will have a valid identification badge with his or her photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce Watermark and an expiration date on it. Field representatives will also carry black shoulder bags or laptops printed with the U.S. Census logo. Each will also have a letter from the Census Bureau, on official letterhead, that states why he or she is visiting. If residents have further questions about someone’s identity, they should call 800-923-8282 to speak with a local Census Bureau representative.

There are several reasons that it’s important that people respond to the Census, Engelmann said. The Census determines how many seats a state gets in the U.S. Congress and how hundreds of billion dollars in federal funding are distributed annually to the states. The demographic data gathered in the Census directly affects decision making at all levels of government.

The funding states receive based on Census data goes to Medicaid, Medicare Part B, Federal Direct Student Loans, National School Lunch Program, Homeland Security Grant Program, business and industry loans, career and technical education grants, housing vouchers, highway construction, Head Start, Title I Grants to schools, to name a few.

Decisions on transportation needs, ensuring adequate distribution of fire, police, and EMS services, providing data for numerous scientific research endeavors, data support for natural disaster response and determining eligibility for housing assistance and loans are made based on data gathered in the Census, Engelmann said.

More information about Census pertaining to Prince William County can be found at http://www.pwcgov.org/census.