Soon, the 2020 census will start!  Most of the counting will take place between mid-March and the end of April, when the census bureau will be sending out a mailing to all the households in the US. To help our community prepare, we are going to share important info about the census with you over the coming weeks. We hope to answer as many questions about the census as we can AND to encourage you to help make sure that ALL of our neighbors are counted… it’s an important step to make sure that our state, city and neighborhoods each gets their fair share of the pie and the more folks who are counted, the better our chances of being fully represented in the government.  So, let’s get started… and let’s get ready to be counted!

Federal funds, grants and support to states, counties and communities are based on population totals and breakdowns by sex, age, race and other factors. Your community benefits the most when the census counts everyone. When you respond to the census, you help your community get its fair share of the more than $675 billion per year in federal funds spent on schools, hospitals, roads, public works and other vital programs.

Businesses use census data to decide where to build factories, offices and stores, and this creates jobs. Developers use the census to build new homes and revitalize old neighborhoods. Local governments use the census for public safety and emergency preparedness. Residents use the census to support community initiatives involving legislation, quality-of-life and consumer advocacy.