The Census of Governments identifies the scope and nature of the nation's state and local government sector; provides authoritative benchmark figures of public finance and public employment; classifies local government organizations, powers, and activities; and measures federal, state, and local fiscal relationships.

The United States Code, Title 13, Section 161, requires that this census be taken.

In order to conserve taxpayer time and money, the Census Bureau is moving from paper- based data collection to online-based collection. To report online, you will need the User ID and password provided to your company by the Census Bureau.

Title 13, United States Code (U.S.C.), Sections 131 and 182, require businesses and other organizations included in the survey to answer the questions and submit a response.

Title 13, United States Code, Section 9, requires the Census Bureau to keep your information CONFIDENTIAL and can use your responses only to produce statistics. The Census Bureau is not permitted to publicly release your responses in a way that could identify your business, organization, or institution. Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, your data are protected from cybersecurity risks through screening of the systems that transmit your data.

Below are a few common items you can use to verify the legitimacy of this survey:

1. Ensure the Web address provided in the letter is a "census.gov" domain.
   
2. Reporting information is provided in the letter.
   
3. On the log-in screen, a warning message should be present stating the respondent is accessing a U.S. Government computer.
   
4. Additionally, the upper right corner of the page should display the OMB eight-digit number and expiration date. This number indicates that the OMB has approved the survey and has confirmed there is a need to collect the information.
   
5. The bottom of the log-in screen should have a link for the “Burden Statement” which also contains the OMB eight-digit number.