A-4 Census Dir Letter and CPS Factsheet

A-4 Census Dir Letter and CPS Factsheet.pdf

Computer and Internet Use Supplement to the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey

A-4 Census Dir Letter and CPS Factsheet

OMB: 0660-0021

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Attachment A-4

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

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
15350 SHERMAN WAY STE 400
VAN NUYS CA 91406-4203
Telephone: 1–800–992–3530 #2

census.gov

CPS-263(MIS-1)(L) CHICAGO
(2-2017)

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
1111 W 22ND ST STE 400
OAK BROOK IL 60523-1918
Telephone: 1–800–865–6384, #2

census.gov

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

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economics and Statistics Administration

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

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

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

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economics and Statistics Administration

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

John H. Thompson
Further information
may be obtained from:
REGIONAL DIRECTOR
US CENSUS BUREAU
32 OLD SLIP 9TH FLOOR
NEW YORK NY 10005-3500
Telephone: 1–800–991–2520

census.gov

CPS-263(MIS-1)(L) ATLANTA
(2-2017)

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
101 MARIETTA ST NW STE 3200
ATLANTA GA 30303-2711
Telephone: 1–800–424–6974, #53939

census.gov

CPS-263(MIS-1)(L) PHILADELPHIA
(7-2016)

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economics and Statistics Administration

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

John H. Thompson
Further information
may be obtained from:
REGIONAL DIRECTOR
US CENSUS BUREAU
100 S INDEPENDENCE MALL W #410
PHILADELPHIA PA 19106-2320
Telephone: 800–262–2367

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)

Unemployment Rate for Persons
25 Years and Older, by Education

Percentage of Persons Employed
(Annual averages)

(Annual averages for 2015)

Men, age 16+
Women, age 16+
72.0

71.7

70.9

72.0

71.9

70.8

69.6
63.7

54.3

57.5

55.6

56.2
53.6

53.7

50.4
47.7

Fact Sheet for the
Current Population Survey

8.0

Less than
high school

65.3

Attachment A-4

High school
graduate

5.4

Some college,
no degree

5.0

42.0

Associate degree

Bachelor's
degree or more
1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

3.8

2.6

2015

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Unemployment Rate for 2005 to 2015
Annual averages
12
9.3

9.6

8.9
8.1

7.4
6.2

5.8
6

5.1

4.6

2006

2007

5.3

2005

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2005 to 2015: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Issued April 2016
BC-1433

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

census.gov

People who have jobs......those who want jobs......and those not in the job market.
What this survey is about
This survey is the Current Population Survey.
Its main purpose is to collect up-to-date
figures on people who have jobs, those
who want jobs, and those who are not in
the market for jobs. The U.S. Census Bureau
collects the information and the
U.S. Department of Labor publishes the
results. The survey results include a number
of high-profile economic statistics, including
the Nation’s unemployment rate that you
read or hear about monthly in the news.

Why we need the Current
Population Survey
In a nation as large as ours and one that
is changing so rapidly, we need up-to-date
facts in order to plan effective programs
for the future. In addition to a complete
census, taken every 10 years, and the
American Community Survey, taken
annually, it is essential that we obtain
some items of information much more
frequently. We collect information on the
number of persons working, the kind of
work they do, and the number of persons
looking for work (the unemployed) on a
monthly basis in the Current Population
Survey so that we can keep abreast of
changes.

Legal authorization
Congress authorized the collection of
most of the information requested
in this survey under Title 13, U.S.
Code, Sections 8(b), 141, and 182;
and Title 29, U.S. Code, Section 2. In
some months, the survey may contain
questions authorized under laws other
than those cited. You can obtain

further information concerning the authority for
any particular portion of the survey from the
Field Representative who
visits your household.

Why your answers are important
People in government and private
organizations need the statistics that we
obtain from this survey to develop and
evaluate economic policies that are consistent
with the current needs of the nation. For this
reason, it is extremely important that these
statistics be as reliable as possible. The only
way we can achieve this needed reliability is
through the cooperation of sample households
such as yours in providing complete and
accurate information. Your answers represent
your household and approximately 2,000
other households similar to yours. In all,
we select about 59,000 households to be
interviewed each month.

Additional questions
In addition to questions about jobs, from
time to time we ask questions about other
important areas concerning the economic and

social health of our nation. We may ask how
much schooling people in your household
have had, how many of them are attending
school now, what kinds of work different
members have done, whether or not you
have moved in the past year, and other questions of a similar nature.

Number of times we will visit you
We will visit this address each month for 4
months this year and again for 4 months a
year from now.

How you are chosen
We chose this address, not you as a person
or a family. If you should move during the
period, we will interview the new family that
moves to this address.

The Census Bureau never
reveals information about you
All information given by you to the Census
Bureau for this survey is confidential by law
(Title 13, U.S. Code, Section 9). Every Census
Bureau employee takes an oath to this effect
and is subject to a jail penalty and a fine if
he/she discloses any census information
given to him/her. We use computers to
collect the survey data, but the information
is encrypted to ensure its confidentiality.
We present published information only in
the form of statistical summaries, and we
never release any information that could
identify individuals. The Census Bureau has
established rigid procedures and guidelines
to ensure data confidentiality and is proud
of the excellent reputation it has earned in
this regard.

Thank you for your participation in the Current Population Survey!

File Type	application/pdf
File Modified	2017-07-17
File Created	2017-07-17