The United States Constitution requires a national census once every ten years to count everyone living in the United States. A complete count of Thornton residents is extremely important, because it helps us to secure our share of more than $400 billion in federal funds that are distributed to state and local areas. Census data is also used to determine the number of representatives each state will have in Congress. Answers to the U.S. Census are protected by law and strictly confidential.
Quality Assurance Operations - Beginning in June
The 2010 Census is nearing the end of its door-to-door follow-up to count everyone who did not return a questionnaire in March or April. However, during the next several months the Census Bureau will conduct quality assurance operations to ensure the 2010 Census is an accurate and complete picture of everyone living in the United States.
- Some households that mailed in their forms will receive phone calls in order to obtain missing information or to clarify the information that was submitted. Census takers will not:
- Ask you for your social security number, bank account number or credit card number
- Solicit for donations and will never contact you by e-mail
- Ask about your citizenship status
- A randomly selected group of households will be re-interviewed to ensure the accuracy of the data collected by the census takers going door-to-door. All census workers carry official government badges marked with just their name, and they may also have a "U.S. Census Bureau" bag. Census workers will not ask to enter the home.
If you are one of the small percentage of households contacted during the quality assurance process for re-interview or verification, please take a few minutes to help ensure the quality of the 2010 Census. If you did not return a census form and haven’t had a follow-up visit, call 1-800-923-8282 to make sure you are counted.
Household Visits - Starting in May
Beginning in May, workers from the U.S. Census Bureau will be visiting households in Thornton that did not return a completed questionnaire by mail. The census workers will ask ONLY the questions included on the official questionnaire form. If no one answers at a particular residence, a census worker will visit that home up to three times, each time leaving a door hanger featuring a phone number that residents can call to schedule their visit. Census workers may be in City neighborhoods through the month of August.
All census workers carry official government badges marked with just their name, and they may also have a "U.S. Census Bureau" bag. Census workers will not ask to enter the home. Residents concerned about the worker’s identity should contact the Denver Regional Census Center at (720) 475-3640 to confirm employment.
The Questionnaire
The U.S. Census Bureau mailed questionnaire forms to each household beginning in mid-March. Residents were asked to complete the ten-question form and promptly return it by mail. Replacement questionnaires were mailed in April to residents who had not returned their original forms. Residents with questions about the 2010 U.S. Census should call 1-866-872-6868.
Helpful Links
For more information about the 2010 Census, visit 2010census.gov.
