JUNE 29, 2017 — Starting in July, governments around the country will start the process of ensuring the accuracy of their address lists through the 2020 Census Local Update of Census Addresses operation. LUCA is a voluntary, once-a-decade opportunity for governments to add, correct or delete addresses on the lists and maps used to conduct the decennial census. An accurate and complete census helps governments plan for future infrastructure, program and service needs.
On July 14, the U.S. Census Bureau will begin mailing invitation letters and registration forms to approximately 39,000 tribal, state and local governments across the nation to encourage them to participate in LUCA. This operation is the only opportunity governments have to review and improve the Census Bureau’s residential address list before the 2020 Census.
The Census Bureau relies on a complete and accurate address list to reach every living quarter and associated population for inclusion in the 2020 Census. Participation in LUCA helps ensure an accurate decennial census count in communities across the nation.
LUCA Participation
All LUCA participants receive:
- A complete census address list for their jurisdiction to review and update.
- A list that contains the Census Bureau’s count of residential addresses for each census block within their government for reference.
- Census Bureau maps.
Promotional workshops are underway, and starting in October, training workshops will offer “hands-on” experience using the LUCA materials. Self-training aids and webinars will also be available through the LUCA website. Beginning in February 2018, registered participants will receive materials to review the Census Bureau’s address list for their jurisdiction, and they will have 120 days to return their updates to the Census Bureau.
Other LUCA milestones and information can be found in the 2020 Census detailed LUCA Information Guide.
Road to the 2020 Census
The goal of the 2020 Census is to count everyone once, only once, and in the right place. The Census Bureau is using expert resources and experience in and out of the government to make the 2020 Census a success. As census operations and testing move forward, the Census Bureau will continue to improve its innovations using mobile and geospatial technology, administrative records and self-response via the internet.