Decennial Census of Population and Housing

• What is the 2020 Census New Construction Program (New Construction Program)?
• Why Participate in the New Construction Program?
• Who Can Participate in the New Construction Program?
• What's New?
• How to Participate
• How to Prepare for Participation
• Response Options
• The New Construction Program Schedule
• Contact Information

The New Construction Program provides tribal, state, and local governments an opportunity to update the U.S. Census Bureau’s residential address list with living quarters for which construction is in progress during or after March 1, 2018 and completion is expected by Census Day, April 1, 2020. 

The New Construction Program helps ensure that the Census Bureau’s address list is as complete and accurate as possible by Census Day, April 1, 2020, to produce a complete and accurate population count.

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Participation in the New Construction Program helps to ensure an accurate population count in your community; helps the federal government distribute more than $675 billion in funds annually for infrastructure, programs, and services; and helps your community plan for future needs.

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The New Construction Program is offered to federally recognized tribes with a reservation and/or off-reservation trust lands, states, counties, incorporated places (cities, towns, villages), and minor civil divisions (townships) that contain blocks where the Census Bureau plans to mail questionnaires to housing units for the 2020 Census.

Enumerators will deliver 2020 Census questionnaires to all housing units in each block and record addresses for any new housing units for governments that are not eligible to participate in the New Construction Program.

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• State governments can now participate in the New Construction Program.
• Group quarters and transitory locations are now collected during the New Construction Program.

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Invited governments will designate a New Construction Program liaison. The Census Bureau will send the New Construction Program materials to the New Construction Program liaison to respond.

The New Construction Program liaison uses the pre-formatted materials provided by the Census Bureau to submit a list of city-style addresses, assigned with census block information (geocoded) within its jurisdiction. Maps or spatial data are provided as a reference for assigning census tract or block codes for each submitted address. Please ensure that all address lists submitted during the New Construction Program contain geocoded information to successfully update our Master Address File to produce an accurate population count.

The Census Bureau cannot accept street or boundary updates submitted to the New Construction Program.

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New Construction Program participants can begin preparing for the New Construction Program.

• Identify local address sources, such as building permits, E-911 address files, local utility records, assessment files, or taxation files.
• Ensure that your local address list contains multiunit structure identifiers (such as apartment numbers for individual units) and that you can distinguish between residential addresses and nonresidential addresses within the list.

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Participants must respond to the New Construction Program digitally. The Census Bureau offers two digital methods for preparing a New Construction Program response.

1. Basic digital option: The Geographic Update Partnership Software (GUPS). GUPS is a free, customized Geographic Information System (GIS) tool that will be available for download from the Census Bureau’s website. The GUPS includes pre-formatted materials and is developed for participants who do not have geographic training or are not experienced GIS users.


2. Advanced digital option: Experienced GIS users can utilize their own GIS software. The Census Bureau will provide free GIS shapefiles on its website, along with digital update guidelines. Governments can use the provided shapefiles for reference when updating their city-style address list.

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April-May 2019 – New Construction Program invitation materials sent to participants.

June 14, 2019 – Deadline to register.

September 2019 – New Construction Program review and response materials sent to participants. Participants will have 45 calendar days from receipt of materials to complete review.

September 2019 – New Construction Program webinars will be provided by the Census Bureau.

November 22, 2019 – Deadline for returning New Construction Program submissions.

April 1, 2020 – Census Day.

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Email: Geo.2020.NC@census.gov

Phone Number: 1-844-242-1765

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