from: Decennial Media Relations Team, e-mail: 2000usa(a)census.gov The Census Bureau announced today that "the initial response rate" for Census 2000 the percentage of questionnaires returned before enumerators begin knocking on the doors of nonrespondents later this month was 65 percent, matching the 1990 rate. Beginning on April 27, Bureau staff will begin contacting all of those who did not return their forms. About 120 million census questionnaires were mailed or hand-delivered to homes across the country in March. As questionnaires were returned, the Census Bureau posted daily, from March 27 to April 11, on its Internet site http://rates.census.gov/ the rates of return for the country, the states and about 38,000 local and tribal governments. (Tract rates are also available http://rates.census.gov/tracts/ ) Under a promotional campaign called '90 Plus Five, the Census Bureau challenged the nation, the states and local communities to do as well as they did in 1990, plus 5 percent. By April 18, about 15 percent of the entities had met their goals. By April 11, the Census Bureau reported that the response rate the number of those who either mailed back, transmitted via the Internet or had a telephone assistance operator take their answers over the phone stood at 62 percent, a percentage point better than what it had projected for planning and budgetary purposes. In the next phase of the census, called "non-response follow-up," as many as half a million temporary workers, with address lists and maps, will visit housing units the Census Bureau did not hear from. They will make up to six attempts to contact nonresponding households three personal visits and three phone calls. This operation will extend through July 7.