UNDATED, Iowa—The U.S. Census Bureau, in coordination with federal, state and local health officials, will begin to drop off 2020 Census questionnaire packets at front doors of households in Iowa starting the week of May 18. This is done in areas where the majority of households do not receive mail at their physical address. The Census Bureau began hand-delivering census materials on March 15, but suspended all fieldwork for this operation on March 18 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Temporary field staff have been trained to observe all social distancing protocols and will wear official government-provided personal protective equipment for their safety and the safety of the public. This operation is contactless and follows the most current federal health and safety guidelines.
The health and safety of Census Bureau staff and the public is always a top priority.
The Census Bureau will deliver 2020 Census invitations and paper questionnaires at the front doors of roughly 5.1 million stateside households and 14,705 households in Iowa. This operation is crucial to ensure a complete and accurate count of all communities, which helps guide hundreds of billions of dollars in public and private sector spending per year.
People are strongly encouraged to respond promptly to the 2020 Census using the ID number included in the questionnaire packet. Responding with a census ID or the paper questionnaire helps ensure the best count of their community. People can respond online, by phone or by using the paper form in the packet.
Currently, Iowa ranks in third in voluntary response to the 2020 Census with a 66.3% rate. Minnesota leads with 69.4% and Wisconsin is second with 66.8%. By the way, the nationals rate is 59.3%.
In Iowa, Boone County has a response rate of 69.3%. In neighboring counties, Dallas County has 68.9%, Polk County with 66.8%, Story County 65.9% and Hamilton County with 65.6%.
The response from Ogden leads the Boone County data with 68.6%, Madrid 68.4% and Boone with 67.6%. Rural portions of Boone County and smaller communities that don’t make the cities list have a higher response rate.
