UPDATE: OCT. 18, 2016 — Today, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that it will stop plans to test field operations in Puerto Rico, the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota and South Dakota, and the Colville Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land in Washington state in 2017. Instead, we will consider including these sites in our 2018 End-to-End Census Test.

Please see the Director’s Blog for more information.

April 12, 2016 — The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that it plans to conduct a test census in selected areas within Puerto Rico beginning February 2017. The Census Bureau will test new technologies, operations and procedures for the 2020 Census of Puerto Rico.

The test will take place in three municipios within the San Juan metro area. Approximately 123,000 housing units within Carolina, Loíza and Trujillo Alto will participate in this test.

The Census Bureau selected these municipios because residents who live in these areas are likely to use a variety of response options including the Internet, mobile devices, paper questionnaires and telephone. Additionally, the Census Bureau will further test and refine the address canvass operation.

Conducting this test will require hiring temporary census staff. The Census Bureau will begin recruiting in October 2016. More information will be available then on census.gov.

This test supports the goal of the 2020 Census, which is to count everyone once, only once, and in the right place. As 2020 Census operations move forward, the Census Bureau will continue to improve the use of mobile technology, administrative records, innovations from the geospatial industry and self-response via the internet. This test will provide insights and guide our planning to ensure an accurate census.

For more information, visit www.census.gov/2017censustests.

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