[teilo]

>Note that the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 has increased the fine for any criminal misdemeanor to as much as $5,000. In practice, though, no one has been prosecuted for not filling out the census since 1970, according to a 2014 Politifact article.

That article is wrong, and the fine is absolutely not $5,000. If that article were correct, then there would be no federal fines under $5,000 anywhere. This is misinformation that the census bureau likes to spread around to scare people. In face, the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 applies only to criminal cases.

This means that the fine is actually $100.

I went through this rigmarole when I got one of those off-year census forms during the Obama administration, asking about what my family eats, how many toilets we have, etc. I refused to fill it out. A guy showed up at my door. He showed me the brochure that said it was mandatory, and what the potential fine was. The same $5,000 number was quoted. I told him I would not be participating in this program, and that his brochure was lying because this was not a criminal offense. He agreed it was not a criminal matter. And that was that.