The Census of Governments is a complete census of all state and local governments conducted once every five years. We measure three components: organization (number of governments and characteristics), employment (number of employees and payroll), and finance (revenues, expenditures, debt, and assets). The census is required by the United States Code, Title 13, Section 161. Visit our website for more information about the Census of Governments.

2. Why should I complete this survey? What is the purpose of the GUS?

The Government Units Survey (GUS) is the instrument for collecting current information to update the universe of all county, municipal, township, and special district governments for the 2022 Census of Governments. The GUS provides critical information on organizational structure that we need to maintain the universe frame of governments. Public sector surveys that the Census Bureau conducts use the frame to draw their samples. The GUS serves as a source of information to produce the official count of state and local governments in the United States. For more information, visit the GUS website.

3. Is the GUS mandatory?

While completion of the GUS is not mandatory, data from the survey provide comprehensive, uniform statistics on the structure and activity of local governments. This information directly impacts your government and the communities that you serve by producing statistics about government organization, public employment, and government finance. The GUS is authorized by Title 13, Sections 161, and 193 of the United States Code. In addition, the U.S. Congress, federal agencies, state, and other local governments, educational and research organizations, and the general public use the results of our data collection. For more information, visit the GUS website.

4. How do I get taken off of your mailing list?

Unfortunately, we cannot remove your agency from the mailing list at this time. Your agency was selected to complete the GUS because it meets the Census Bureau’s criteria of a government. We define a government to be “an organized entity which, in addition to having governmental character, has sufficient discretion in the management of its own affairs to distinguish it as separate from the administrative structure of any other governmental unit.”

Even if you still do not feel that the agency you represent meets these criteria, please continue to fill out the survey to the best of your knowledge and add relevant details in the “Remarks” section of the survey. An experienced Census Bureau analyst will then review your responses. Based on the analyst’s research, the agency may be removed from the survey mailing list, but only if it is found to no longer meet our definition of a government. Your response to the GUS is the important first step in this process.

5. We are not a government. Should I complete the GUS?

Yes, you should still complete the GUS. Your agency was selected for this survey because it meets the Census Bureau’s criteria of a government. We define a government to be:

“An organized entity which, in addition to having governmental character, has sufficient discretion in the management of its own affairs to distinguish it as separate from the administrative structure of any other governmental unit”.

Even if you still do not feel that the agency you represent meets these criteria, please continue to fill out the survey to the best of your knowledge, and add relevant details in the “Remarks” section. An experienced Census Bureau analyst will then review your responses. Based on the analyst’s research, the agency may be removed from the survey mailing list, but only if it is found to no longer meet our definition of a government. Your response to the 2021 Government Units Survey is the important first step in this process.

6. My organization no longer exists. Should I complete the survey?

Yes, you still need to complete the survey. Question #2 (Was this agency in existence on February 1, 2021?) on the GUS asks whether your agency is still in existence. Please enter the date it ceased operations. If another organization took over operations, please include contact information for the new organization. Skip to the end of the survey and provide the name of the new organization that took over operations and any additional information about the change in the “Remarks” section.

7. Why did I receive this survey?

If you received the Government Units Survey (GUS), we have determined your agency is one of the approximately 43,500 local governments or school district governments in the United States, which we are collecting information from. Every five years we conduct a census in which we attempt to collect information on organizational structure from local governments in the country. For more information, visit the GUS website.

8. We are a non-profit organization. Should I complete the survey?

Yes, you should still complete the GUS. We have determined that your agency meets the Census Bureau’s definition of a government. We define a government to be “an organized entity which, in addition to having governmental character, has sufficient discretion in the management of its own affairs to distinguish it as separate from the administrative structure of any other governmental unit.” Please call our toll-free number at 1-888-369-3613, should you need additional assistance.

9. The name of our government is incorrect. How do I get it changed?

In the “Remarks” section of the survey, please provide the correct name of your organization in the space provided.

10. Can I provide my responses to the GUS over the phone? (I do not have my username and password)

Yes, please call our toll-free number at 1-888-369-3613, and an analyst will be happy to assist you.