What Are the Residence Requirements When Conducting a Special Census?
Each person in a Special Census coverage area is identified as either a resident or nonresident of the housing unit as of Special Census Day. Since the first U.S. decennial census in 1790 the Census Bureau has used the concept of usual residence when determining where people were to be counted. This concept has been followed in all subsequent censuses and is also used when conducting a Special Census. Usual residence is the place where the person lives and sleeps most of the time. This place is not necessarily the same as the person’s voting residence or legal residence. Also, noncitizens who are living in the United States are included, regardless of their immigration status. Determining usual residence is easy for most people. Given our nation’s wide diversity in types of living arrangements, however, the usual residence for some people is not as apparent. The Census Bureau has residence rules that provide guidelines for determining a respondent’s usual residence. Applying the usual
