Blog > Have You Responded to the Census? Your Community is Counting on It.

Posted May 1, 2020

Have You Responded to the Census? Your Community is Counting on It.

While the first thing on everyone’s mind right now is the pandemic, the 2020 Census is still going on. If you haven’t yet responded to the Census, do so now because an accurate population count is crucial to your community. Why  is it so important? To put it simply, it’s about funding, democracy, and jobs. If your community is undercounted, it may not receive its fair share of federal funding for schools, hospitals, roads, public works, and other vital programs. Your local government may not have enough money for essentials like public safety and emergency preparedness. Census population counts also determine representation in Congress. Undercounting could result in losing seats in Congress. 

Furthermore, job opportunities could also be lost because businesses use census data to decide where to build factories, stores, and offices. 

The global pandemic is a situation that can illustrate how important it is to have accurate population counts. Here is one possible scenario to consider: Once an effective vaccine against Covid-19 is developed, health officials and other decision makers will likely need to know how many vaccines will be required in each state and local community across the nation so they can make decisions about the manufacture and distribution of the vaccine. 

It’s not too late to respond to the Census. Your information is confidential by law and responding only takes a few minutes. Visit https://my2020census.gov and click on “Start Questionnaire.” If you don’t have your Census ID that came in the mail, click on “If you do not have a Census ID” and follow the prompts. You can also respond by phone by calling 1-844-330-2020.