The links on this page provide resources to inform and motivate your community to complete the 2020 Census Form. Materials are updated frequently, so come back often for new resources.
Click on the heading to expand each section.
Text your questions about the Census to (303) 622-5881
The 2020 Census is underway and households across America are responding every day
In light of the COVID-19 outbreak the U.S. Census Bureau has adjusted several 2020 Census deadlines. The most recent change was announced on October 13, when the U.S. Supreme Court rescinded an appellate court order resetting the data collection deadline to October 31, 2020. The Census Bureau has since announced tha the last date for self response and NRFU will be October 15.
See the 2020 Census Operational Adjustments Due to COVID-19 page for up-to-date information.
| Event | Original Dates | Revised Dates |
| Census Self Response Period | 3/12/2020 - 7/31/2020 | 3/12/2020 - 10/15/2020 |
| Mobile Questionnaire Assistance Centers | 3/30/2020 - 7/31/2020 | Ends 10/31/2020 |
| Service Based Enumeration (for persons experiencing homelessness) | 3/30/2020 - 4/1/2020 | 9/22/2020 - 9/23/2020 |
| Group Quarters Enumeration (for college students living in on-campus housing, prisoners, and people living in group settings) | 4/2/2020 - 6/5/2020 | 4/2/2020 - 9/3/2020 |
| Enumeration of Transitory Locations | 3/15/2020 - 4/17/2020 | 9/3/2020 - 9/28/2020) |
| Update Leave (for persons living in rural areas who receive mail at a P.O. Box) | 3/15/2020 - 4/17/2020 | 5/18/2020 - 7/9/2020 |
| Non-Response Follow-up (for people not responding to previous Census invitations) | 5/13/2020 - 7/31/2020 | 8/11/2020 - 10/15/2020 |
The Census Bureau has publihed images showing the content of different Census invitations and maiilings. These materials will be sent to homes beginning on March 12, 2020. These mailings will be addressed to Resident
A set of short articles appropriate for newsletters, social media posts, and web pages.
Access the collection of articles here.
Please contact Adam Bickford at adam.bickford@state.co.us if you have suggestions for additional articles.
Census "Shape your Future. START HERE" | Census Television Advertising |
| The Census Bureau launched its national 2020 advertising campaign on January 14, 2020. Advertisemnts are in multiple langurages and are targeted to multiple communities. You can see and link to the advertisements here. | |
| Census "Shape your Future" videos | |
Completing the Online Census Form | Videos from the Census YouTube Channel |
| This video from the Census Bureau shows how to complete the online Census form. Using the Online Census Form | The Census YouTube Channel |
Shape your Future: Education | Everybody Counts Singalong from Statistics in Schools |
| Shape your Future: Education | Everybody Counts Singalong |
What College Students Need to Know | |
| What College Students Need to Know |
| Videos from the City and County of Denver | |
Individual Testimonials | |
This toolkit, developed by the Colorado Children's Campaign, the Colorado State Department of Education, and the Education and Youth subcommittee of the Coloraod Complete Count Committee provides resources for Preschool teachers. The materials include messaging and social media strategies directed towards improvign the count of young children. There are links to Census materials developed by the Census Bureau and the State Demography Office.
Resources from the Colorado Department of Education Census 2020 Page: Early Childhood Census Toolkit
Resources for Higher Education:
The Colorado Library Consortium (CLIC) has developed a took kit for public libraries. This toolkit provides resources for social media posts.
The Census Bureau has published a set of 59 language guides providing instructions for completing the Census paper form.
Access the Language Guides hare.
See the Statewide Census 2020 Social Media Training presentation in the Presentations section of this page.
View the Statewide Census 20202 Social Media Training presentation:
Download the presentation here.
Census posters are a great way to raise awareness about the Census and its importance. The State Demography Office has developed a library of posters you can download and print locally. These posters can also be printed by IDS or your local printer. The cost of printing is eligible for CCSP reimbursement. Posters can be customized by adding your logo or modifying the message.
Please contact Justine May at justine.may@state.co.us for more information.
State Demography Office Poster Library
Census Bureau Public Service Announcements (PSA) are available in segments ranging from 15 seconds to a minute that can be aired during unpaid or donated TV, radio and online spots. They include information about our outreach initiatives such as “Statistics in Schools” and “The Undercount of Young Children” as well as general explainers on topics like “What Is the Census” and “How to Take the Census.”
The PSAs are designed for various audiences and offered in multiple languages. PSAs or scripts will be available in English and 12 non-English languages during 2020 Census operations. These languages include: Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Tagalog, Polish, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese and Japanese. Paid advertisements reaching these audiences will run starting in early 2020. Other promotional materials will be posted to 2020census.gov as they become available.
Access the Census PSA Toolkit here.
This guide is designed to help Census partners navigate the competion of the Census form. This resource can help identify low-response areas and help acheive a complete count.
Questionnaire Assistance Guide
The U.S. Census Bureau has released a downloadable toolkit geared toward helping local elected officials and community leaders plan a Response Rate Challenge
The Census Bureau has developed a toolkit containing information about the census and social media guidelines, tips, sample posts, and sample e-mail messages that will help you reach out to the people in your community and increase their awareness of the 2020 Census. This toolkit also provides information about 2020 Census jobs.
2020 Census Recruiting Toolkit
The Colorado Library Consortium (CLIC) has developed a took kit for public libraries. This toolkit provides resources for social media posts.
This toolkit, developed by the Colorado Children's Campaign, the Colorado State Department of Education, and the Education and Youth subcommittee of the Coloraod Complete Count Committee provides resources for Preschool teachers. The materials include messaging and social media strategies directed towards improvign the count of young children. There are links to Census materials developed by the Census Bureau and the State Demography Office.
Also, see the video below features the Colorado Small Business Roundtable and Rosemary Rodriguez of Together We Count discussing the 2020 Census and its importance for small businesses.
This toolkit, developed by Together We Count provides an overview of Census operations and procedures for effective outreach to Hard to Count Communities. Together We Count 2020 Census Guidebook
Presentation introducing the 2020 Census to general audiences. Census Base Presentation
A presentation made by Natriece Bryant, Department of Local Affairs and Rosemary Rodriguez, Together We Count, describing Colorado's support for the 2020 Census. Presentation to the Colorado Association of Funders
A presentation from the State Demography Office describing the definition of "Hard to Count" populations used by the Census Bureau. Reaching Hard to Count Populations
The U.S. Census Bureau unveiled its 2020 Census Communications Platform on March 4, 2019. Additional resources, poster templates, downloadable materials, etc. will be available on this platform beginning in September, 2019.
The Census Bureau has released the Sample Census 2020 form. You can see a copy of what it looks like here.
See the Census Bureau's "Why we Ask Factsheet" for more information about individual census questions.
The Census Bureau published detailed plans documenting all of its operations. The Operational Plans cover multiple subjects including plans for Service Based Enumeration (which will produce counts for people experiencing homelessness), the Non-Response Follow-Up process (the process of enumerating households that do not respond to the census voluntarily), and many other topics. The collection of operational plans can be accessed here: Census Operational Plans
The Census Barriers, Attitudes and Motivators Study (CBAMS) reports Census Bureau research into the barriers and motivational issues that can impact census responses. The CBAMS study combines a series of focus groups and a sample survey.
The focus groups component of the 2020 CBAMS will provide deeper and more specific insights than can be obtained through the survey, especially for hard-to-count populations. A particular emphasis of the focus groups is on areas that may be underrepresented in the survey, such as households in rural areas; young, single, mobile individuals; and no or low internet proficiency. Hard-to-count racial and ethnic minorities include American Indian and Alaska Natives (AIAN), Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI), and Middle Eastern and North African (MENA). Historically, these groups all have among the lowest propensities to respond to the decennial census. Focus groups will ensure we have sufficient and actionable research to guide outreach to these groups. There were 42 total focus groups that took place in 14 locations across the county from March 14 through April 19, 2018. Final CBAMS Focus Group Report
The 2020 CBAMS Survey, publicly called the 2020 Census Planning Survey, is a nationwide survey of 50,000 households that covers a range of topics related to census participation and completion. Results will allow the Census Bureau to understand and compare barriers, attitudes, and motivators across demographic subgroups such as Asian, Black, Hispanic, White, and, given sufficient sample size, additional groups like income and education levels. The survey period was February 20 through April 17, 2018; respondents were able to complete the survey in English or Spanish either online or by mailing back the questionnaire. Final CBAMS Survey Report