No Such Thing as Off The Grid with 2020 Census

If you watch regular television you have most likely heard about the 2020 Census. There has been a lot of debate in Washington DC about the census and what it will ask and not ask. All of that is still being discussed but one thing is for sure the 2020 Census will find you or at least that's what they are saying. Since the first Census in 1790 the United States Census Bureau has gone above and beyond to make sure they count everyone in the U.S.

It began in 1790 and has been repeated every decade since. The U.S. Census Bureau has set out every 10 years to count the entire population of the United States and it's territories. In the beginning they walked and rode horses, then later traveled by car and now they use satellites to track every house on every road, no mater how remote.

According to their official website in 2010 the Bureau covered 11.2 millions blocks which translates to 67 million miles to make sure they counted everyone. You may recall filing out a census in the past. I know I did in 2000 and 2010 and I remember thinking how weird it was because so much had changed including my zip code.

For the 2020 census the bureau doesn't expect to walk as many miles in according to Robert Colosi who is the special assistant to the chief of the Decennial Statistical Studies Division. Changes in the times and the technology since the last census have lead to nearly 70 % of addresses already being verified with out anyone actually leaving their desks. A new form of software has allowed the bureau to track new housing developments, changes in existing homes or housing units that didn't previously exist. This means that what use to take two hours on foot is now done by a computer in two minutes.

So if you are thinking you are so far off the grid that the U.S. Census folks won't find you, think again, they may already have you on file for 2020.