Housing Vacancy Survey (HVS)

Results of Census Bureau
Surveys Provide a Wealth of
Information - Reflecting Our
Nation's Economic and Social
Environment!
How Census Data Affect Our
Economy...
Data on every subject and aspect of social,
economic, and cultural matters are distributed
through a constantly growing group of data
users - the general public as well as
governments worldwide. For example, these
data form the basis for the national
unemployment rate, official poverty/income
statistics, Consumer Price Index, monthly
housing statistics, and other economic
indicators.

Confidentiality of personal
information is recognized by the
U.S. Census Bureau as a major
factor in gathering accurate data.

How Census Data Affect Your
Community...
The surveys undertaken by the Census Bureau
provide vital information about emerging
social problems, such as the condition of
education in the United States, pregnancy and
infant death, the prevalence of alcohol
consumption, and crime. The data also
describe the health, housing, employment,
unemployment, income, and consumer
expenditures of the population.

U.S. Census Bureau
Regional Offices
If you have additional concerns regarding
confidentiality of Census Bureau data, please
contact your local regional office:
Atlanta
101 Marietta St. N.W., Suite 3200
Atlanta, GA 30303-2700

404-730-3832

Boston
2 Copley Place, Suite 301
P.O. Box 9108
Boston, MA 02117-9108

617-424-0500

Charlotte
901 Center Park Drive, Suite 106
Charlotte, NC 28217-2935

704-344-6142

Chicago
2255 Enterprise Drive, Suite 5501
Westchester, IL 60154-5800

708-562-1350

Dallas
8585 North Stemmons Frwy.
Suite 800 S
Dallas, TX 75247

214-640-4400

Denver
6900 West Jefferson Ave., Suite 100
Denver, CO 80235-2032

303-969-6750

Detroit
1395 Brewery Park Blvd.
P.O. Box 33405
Detroit, MI 48232-5405

313-259-1158

Kansas City
Gateway Tower II
400 State Ave., Suite 600
Kansas City, KS 66101-2410

913-551-6728

Los Angeles
15350 Sherman Way, Suite 300
Van Nuys, CA 91406-4224

818-904-6393

New York
Jacob K. Javits Federal Building
26 Federal Plaza, Rm. 37-130
New York, NY 10278-0044

212-264-3860

Philadelphia
1601 Market St., 21st Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103-2395

215-656-7550

Seattle
700 5th Ave., Suite 5100
Seattle, WA 98104-5018

206-553-5837

Be sure to visit the U.S. Census Bureau on the
World Wide Web
http://www.census.gov
U.S. Department of Commerce
Economics and Statistics Administration
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Issued November 2001
BC-1428RV

The U.S. Census Bureau
Respects Your Privacy and
Keeps Your Personal
Information Confidential
It's the Law! (Title 13, U.S. Code)

The Public's Privacy
No idle pledge!
Safeguards for Your Privacy

Confidentiality Is a Must

Technology Safeguards

The Law...
Title 13, U.S. Code

Only authorized Census Bureau employees
can see your personal identifiable
information.

Modernized automated computer systems and
programs, used to store and process
information collected, are configured to
ensure that an individual's information is
protected from any unauthorized access - for
any reason!

Simply stated, information collected by the
U.S. Census Bureau is used only for statistical
purposes.
When the Census Bureau says it will keep
your information confidential, that also means
it will not release results that could be used
to identify you. That's the law!

The Oath...
All Census Bureau employees, including
temporary employees, swear under oath that
they will not disclose any information about
individuals or businesses gathered by the
agency.

Even copies of census questionnaires cannot
be used as evidence in a court of law.
Census data on individuals or establishments
are not subject to disclosure under the
Freedom of Information Act.
No authority can obtain personal identifiable
data from the Census Bureau. The airtight law
applies to the White House, U.S. Supreme
Court, Internal Revenue Service, Immigration
and Naturalization Service, police, military,
and welfare agencies - everybody!

The Census Bureau even withholds statistical
totals if they represent a geographic area so
small that the numbers might identify
someone.
Access to Census Bureau computer systems
from outside the Census Bureau is strictly
controlled through secure technology,
including passwords, firewalls, encryption,
and auditing, to prevent unauthorized access.

The Penalties...
Substantial penalties are in place for violators
of the law. Disclosing confidential census
information is a felony; the penalty for
wrongful disclosure is up to 5 years
imprisonment and/or a fine. (Under the
Sentencing Reform Act, the fine for wrongful
disclosure currently is up to $250,000.)

Names and addresses are separated from the
electronic files that contain an individual's
answers when no longer needed, to protect
the respondent's confidentiality.

The law protects you
and your information!