Local governments still have time to encourage residents to complete the 2020 U.S. Census. The coronavirus crisis has pushed back the deadline for finishing the Census from late-July to mid-August.
Field operations, which reach out to households that have not responded, have also been slowed. It is important to the funding and operation of government that every person be counted. The results of the Census also determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives and they are used to draw congressional and state legislative districts.
The Census counts every person living in the United States and five territories, including foreign citizens and people without documentation of citizenship. The census provides critical data that governments, lawmakers, business owners, teachers, and many others use to provide daily services, products, and support. Every year, billions of dollars in federal funding go to hospitals, fire departments, schools, roads, and other resources based on Census data.
The 2020 Census will mark the 24th time that the country has counted its population since 1790.
Source: TMACOG