Why the 2020 U.S. Census is so Important
The 2020 U.S. Census count has begun. Every household should have received an invitation to complete a simple questionnaire either online, by phone or by mail. Choose the option that is most comfortable for you.
There are about $675 billion reasons that we should care about the 2020 Census. The census influences how our tax dollars are spent over the next ten years. For every person who isn’t counted it costs our community tens of thousands of dollars. After the 2020 census, PA could lose another Congressional seat, dropping from 18 to 17 members of Congress and continuing a decades-long slide in representation. (We had 36 reps in 1920 and it’s been downhill since).
(Note that this is not because PA is shrinking — we’re not — but because other states are growing faster than we are. Read more here.)
Census dollars are used for about a hundred programs that help make our community better. It funds things like Medicare Part B, Highway Planning, Federal Pell Grants, School lunch programs, Foster Care, Nutrition Programs, Transit Grants, Disaster Relief, Wildlife restoration, Community Facilities, Veterans Programs, elderly housing, Clean Water programs and so much more.
The Census isn’t just about distributing funds. It is about political representation too. Census data determines US congressional seats and Electoral College votes, and PA house and senate seats. When we are counted, we have a stronger political voice.
For those who are concerned about privacy, by law, our information must be kept confidential and safe. Our responses can only be used to produce statistics. The Census Bureau cannot share our responses with the FBI, the CIA, ICE or any other agency. In fact Census Bureau Staff take a lifetime oath to protect our information. They can be fined or face prison time if they don’t.
So please join us in saying: ‘Count Me In’.
