CPS Advance Letters

CPS-263(MIS-1)(L) DENVER
(3-2016)

DC

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. Census Bureau
Washington, DC 20233-0001
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR

FROM THE DIRECTOR
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
You may have read in the newspaper – – or heard on the radio or television – – the official government
figures on total employment and unemployment issued each month. The U.S. Census Bureau obtains these
figures, as well as information about people not in the labor force, from the Current Population Survey
(CPS). This information, which we collect for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, provides vital up-to-date
estimates of the number of people working, the number who are unemployed, and many other related facts.
Occasionally, we ask additional questions on education, health, family income, housing, and other important
subjects.
A Census Bureau representative, who will show an official identification card, will call on you within the next
week or so. The representative will ask questions concerning the ages, employment status, and occupations
of the members of your household, as well as other related information. We are conducting this survey
under the authority of Title 13, United States Code, Sections 8(b), 141, and 182; and Title 29, United States
Code, Section 2. Section 9 of this law requires us to keep all information about you and your household
strictly confidential. We may use this information only for statistical purposes. Any Census Bureau employee
who violates these provisions is subject to a fine up to $250,000 or a prison sentence up to five years or
both.
We have selected your address and about 59,000 others throughout the United States for this survey.
Because this is a sample survey, your answers represent not only yourself and your household, but
also hundreds of other households like yours. For this reason, your participation in this voluntary
survey is extremely important to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the final results. Although
there are no penalties for failure to answer any question, each unanswered question lessens the
accuracy of the final data. Your cooperation will be a distinct service to our country.
On the other side of this letter are answers to questions which participants ask most frequently about this
survey.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,

John H. Thompson
Further information
may be obtained from:
REGIONAL DIRECTOR
US CENSUS BUREAU
6950 W JEFFERSON AVE STE 250
DENVER CO 80235-2377
Telephone: 800-593-5096

census.gov

Current Population Survey (CPS) – Frequently Asked Questions
Who uses this information? What is this survey all about?
In a country as big as ours and one that changes so rapidly between decennial censuses, people in
government, business, and other groups need up-to-date facts in order to plan efficient and adequate
programs. It is important to know how many people are working or out of work (to help direct programs
which would contribute to an expanding economy and provide new jobs), how many children will be
attending school (to plan for schools and the training of an adequate number of teachers), how many
new families are forming (to plan for adequate housing to meet their needs), and so on. Occasionally, we
may combine data from the CPS with data from other government agencies to provide a comprehensive
set of summary information about employment, income, and participation in various government
programs. The CPS is one of the most important and timely sources of information used to make such
plans.
How was I selected for this survey?
Actually, we selected your address rather than you personally for this survey. We scientifically select
addresses that represent households in the United States. Every month approximately 59,000
households are selected to be interviewed. If you should move away while your address is still in the
survey, we would interview the family that moves in.
How many times will I be contacted and how long will it take?
Our representatives contact occupants of a selected dwelling eight times—4 months in one year and
the same 4 months in the following year. In addition, we contact a small number of households twice
during one of the 8 months to ensure the validity of our statistics and verify that our representatives
are doing the best job possible. On occasion, selected households may be asked to participate in
other surveys after they have completed their CPS interviews. On average, a CPS interview should take
about 10 to 15 minutes. Your interview may be somewhat shorter or longer than this depending on such
things as the number of adults in your household or the type of questions asked in a given month. Send
comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including
suggestions for reducing this burden, to: Demo Survey Comments 0607-0049, U.S. Census Bureau,
4600 Silver Hill Road, ADDP-8H590, Washington, D.C. 20233. You may e-mail comments to
[email protected]; use "Demo Survey Comments 0607-0049" as the subject.
What protection do I have? Is this survey authorized by law?
All information individuals give to the Census Bureau is held in the strictest confidence by law (Title 13,
United States Code, Section 9). Title 13, United States Code, Sections 8(b), 141, and 182; and Title 29,
United States Code, Section 2 authorize the collection of most of the information we request in this
survey. In some months, the survey may contain questions authorized under laws other than those cited;
further information concerning the authority for any particular portion of the survey can be obtained from
the representative who contacts your household. The Office of Management and Budget Control number
for CPS is 0607-0049. Without this number we would not be able to conduct this survey. To ensure your
protection, the laptops used for the data collection are password protected and all survey responses are
encrypted.
Why do you include me?
I’m retired. Some retirees may feel that their activities are not important to this type of survey and wonder
why we include them. In order to have an accurate picture of the entire population, it is necessary to
include people in all age groups. Our experience with interviewing retirees shows that many are
participating in the labor force because they work part time or are looking for work. This information,
along with data on other subjects such as income, health, and housing, assists in measuring the
economic condition of the elderly population as a whole.

CPS-263(MIS-1)(L) (3-2016)