Group Quarters

• Census data help communities and
organizations provide programs and
services that enable older adults, children,
and families to enroll in and be eligible for
housing, education, and financial assistance
programs designed to assist them.
• States, cities, counties, and American
Indian reservations use census data to plan
programs, services, and development, and
enforce laws, regulations, and policies against
discrimination.
• Census data help communities understand
whether available housing meets the needs of
residents. When housing is not sufficient or
affordable, these data can help communities
enroll eligible households in programs
designed to assist them, and can help
communities qualify for grants as well.

The major goal of this privacy rule is to ensure
that individuals’ health information is properly
protected, while allowing the flow of health
information needed to provide and promote
high quality health care and to protect the
public’s health and well-being. The census
forms do not have questions related to health or
health issues and therefore do not conflict with
this act.

Group Quarters Enumeration

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
(FERPA)

The U.S. Census Bureau data collection is
compliant with this act in terms of disclosing
information. Colleges and universities can
disclose directory information from student
records without prior consent from the student
or his or her parents to the Census Bureau.
Directory information includes a student’s name,
date of birth, address, and dates of attendance.
For more information about the 2018 Census
Test, visit census.gov/2018censustest.

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• Businesses use census data to plan new sites
for warehouses, factories, and storefronts,
and recruit and hire workers.

2018 Census Test

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• School districts use census data about
families and children to make long-term
building, staffing, and funding decisions.

Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA)

AF

The federal government is the main user of
census data. Many federal laws require the use
of ­census data to distribute funding, monitor
important programs, and enforce laws against
discrimination. Below are some examples of how
the data are used:

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT
PRIVACY

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USES OF CENSUS DATA

• Governments, communities, and
organizations use census data to qualify for
many federal grant programs that fund all of
these important programs and services.

Issued May 2017
DH-1183(GQE)

HOW THIS OPERATION WORKS

• Group homes
• Nursing facilities/skilled nursing facilities
(nursing homes)
• Residential treatment facilities
• College/university or seminary student
housing (residence halls or dormitories),
fraternity or sorority houses

• Correctional facilities
• In-patient hospice facilities
• Hospitals
• Workers’ group living quarters

• Drop Off/Pick Up—A census worker will leave
census questionnaires to be completed by/for
each person served at the GQ, and then pick
up the completed questionnaires at an agreed
upon time.
• Paper Response Data Collection—A census
worker will meet with the administrator of
this facility to obtain a paper listing of census
response data.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

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• Religious group living quarters (e.g. convents,
monasteries, and abbeys)

• In-Person Interview—A census worker will
conduct a face-to-face interview using the
Individual census questionnaire for each person
living, staying, or receiving services at the
facility.

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EXAMPLES OF GROUP QUARTERS FOR
THE 2018 CENSUS TEST

• Electronic Transfer—The GQ administrator will
electronically send the Census Bureau a listing
of census response data through a secure
system using the online census template.

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The goal of Group Quarters Enumeration is to
count people in the 2018 Census Test who live in
group quarters. Group quarters are places where
people live or stay in a group living arrangement.
These places are owned or run by an organization that provides housing and/or services for
the residents. This is not a typical household-type
living arrangement.

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ABOUT GROUP QUARTERS ENUMERATION

The Census Bureau will collect respondent data
(name, sex, date of birth, age, race, ethnicity, and
an alternate address) as of April 1, 2018, using
one of the following enumeration methods for
Group Quarters (GQ):

• Job Corps centers or vocational training
­facilities

99 Provide electronic response or a paper list of
residents who were living, staying, or receiving
services at the facility on April 1, 2018.
99 Assure residents and staff that all information
collected will remain confidential.
99 Explain the importance of the 2018 Census Test
to members of the facility.
99 Remind staff of the upcoming enumeration.
99 Be sure there is a private area for the
enumerators to work.

ABOUT THE 2018 CENSUS TEST
The Census Bureau is researching modern and
cost-efficient methods for the population to
exercise its civic obligation to be counted in
the 2020 Census. The Census Bureau is committed to making the mandatory once-a-decade
headcount quick, easy, safe and confidential for
all to ­participate.
The 2018 Census Test supports the goal of the
2020 Census, which is to count everyone once,
only once, and in the right place. Throughout
the decade, the Census Bureau has conducted
extensive research and testing to inform the
2020 ­Census design. The 2018 Census Test is
the culmination of that research, providing a
rich environment to test all major components
of the 2020 Census.

PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY
The Census Bureau is required by law to protect
your information. The Census Bureau is not
permitted to publicly release your responses
in a way that could identify anyone at your
institution. We are conducting this survey
under the authority of Title 13, U.S. Code,
Sections 141, 193, 221, and 223. Federal law
protects your privacy and keeps your answers
confidential (Title 13, U.S. Code, Section 9).
By law, the Census Bureau can only use your
responses to produce statistics. Per the Federal
Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, your
data are protected from cybersecurity risks
through screening of the systems that transmit
your data. For more information about how we
protect your information, please visit our Web
site at census.gov, and click on “Data Protection
and Privacy Policy” at the bottom of the page.