Census Bureau Confidentiality Brochure

The U.S. Census Bureau
Respects Your Privacy and
Protects Your Personal Information

A Message from the
Census Bureau Director
We pledge to keep your answers confidential.
This commitment means you can provide honest
answers to our questions knowing that they will
only be merged into thousands of others to paint a
portrait of the country. The Census Bureau knows
that our pledge of confidentiality is key in obtaining
accurate data.
Without you, the country doesn’t have timely
statistical information about how we are doing
economically, educationally, or socially. This is a
fundamental way that the American public can
make sure that our democracy is well informed.
For statistical surveys to work, those chosen at
random to be surveyed must respond. We want
you to feel safe doing this. The Census Bureau has
successfully protected respondents’ answers for
more than 100 years.

Our highest priority at the Census Bureau is
using your answers only for determining how the
country is doing. By law, we cannot share your
answers with anyone—including other federal
agencies and state and local law enforcement
agencies. In 2010, the Justice Department
determined that no provision of the U.S. Patriot
Act overrides the provisions of Title 13 that
protects the confidentiality of Census Bureau data.

For More Information
• About our data protection and privacy
policy, go to census.gov/privacy.
• About how your information is used to
help measure the nation’s people, places
and economy, go to census.gov.
• About Census Bureau products and
services, call our national Customer
Services Center at 1-800-923-8282 or
visit ask.census.gov.
• About statistics on your community,
visit quickfacts.census.gov.
• About Census Bureau activities in your
region, visit census.gov/regions for
contact information and a complete
listing of the states or counties covered
by each Regional Office.

Issued July 2012
BC-1428RV

U.S. Department of Commerce
Economics and Statistics Administration
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

census.gov

We Protect Your Information.

It’s Safe

It’s Confidential

It’s Important

Participating in Census Bureau censuses and
surveys is safe. Your answers are protected
by law and are not shared with anyone.

The Census Bureau is bound by strict laws
and solemn commitment to protect the
confidential information we collect.

The Census Bureau measures the
nation’s people, places, and economy. By
participating in a census or survey, you
help shape the future for yourself, your
community, and the country.

The Laws

Title 13 of the U.S. Code ensures that all
information collected by the Census Bureau is
used for statistical purposes only.
The Confidential Information Protection and
Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA) also
provides strong confidentiality protections for
statistical information collections.

The Oath

All Census Bureau employees take an oath of
nondisclosure and are sworn for life to protect the
confidentiality of all data collected by the agency.

The Penalties

The penalty for unlawful disclosure of information
protected by Title 13 of the U.S. Code and CIPSEA
is a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment of up
to 5 years, or both.

Safety in the Digital Age

The Census Bureau protects your information
through passwords, firewalls, encryption and
other technological safeguards.

• We protect the identity of individuals and
businesses, starting from the point at which the
data are collected and continuing decades after
statistics are published.
• Only authorized Census Bureau employees
who have a business need to know can see your
personal identifiable information.
• No authority can obtain your personal
information from the Census Bureau—not even
the White House.
• Copies of census questionnaires cannot be
subpoenaed for use in a court of law nor
released to anyone until after 72 years.
• Data collected on individuals or establishments
may not be disclosed under the Freedom of
Information Act.
• Statistical totals are even withheld if they

represent a geographic area so small that
someone might be identified.

Your Community

The Census Bureau is often the only source of
statistics at the local level every year, giving
even the smallest communities accurate, timely
information that is essential for decision-making.
The data that you provide tells us vital
information about emerging trends, such as the
condition of education, hospital care, retail sales,
and crime.

Our Economy

The Census Bureau provides critical, timely
information on the health of the U.S. and local
economy.
Economic data collected by the Census Bureau
form the basis for the national unemployment
rate, official income and poverty statistics,
Consumer Price Index, monthly housing statistics,
and other economic indicators.

census.gov/privacy