Census response period ENDS on Sept. 30.
Fill out the Census online at: https://my2020census.gov/ or by phone (1.844.330.2020). Mail-in questionnaires can also be requested.
WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT:
- Divvying up seats in Congress, state legislatures and more
- The calculation for determining congressional districts is based on total resident population — which means citizens and noncitizens alike.Credit…Kiichiro Sato/Associated Press
- States including Texas, Florida, Colorado and Oregon are projected to gain seats after the 2020 numbers are in. Illinois, Ohio, New York and West Virginia are among the states expected to lose seats. An undercount could shift those projections.
- Lawmakers also use census data to draw congressional district boundaries within states, an often-controversial process that can help decide partisan control of the House. Census data also underpin state legislative districts and local boundaries like City Councils and school boards.
- Handing out federal and state dollars
- Influencing business decisions
- Planning for various health and wellness programs
- Gaming out Social Security
- An undercount in the census could also impact forecasts about Social Security payouts, which are already increasing as a share of the federal government’s revenue.
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