The days of the census taker with clipboard in hand may be numbered.
The US Census Bureau is planning to test digital tools in preparation for the 2020 census, a change that could save millions of dollars.
People may be asked to complete census forms online, instead of sending them through the mail, and census takers may use smartphones instead of paper.
The once-a-decade count helps determine how the government spends $US400 billion ($A432 billion) on infrastructure, programs and services each year.
Despite outreach and advertising campaigns, the share of occupied homes that returned a form was 74 per cent in 2010, unchanged from 2000 and 1990.
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In areas of two states, Georgia and Arizona, census workers this year will be asking people to respond online about questions such as age, race and home ownership.
During follow-up visits for those who don't reply, census workers will input answers into their smartphones for instantaneous collection and analysis.
