Census numbers vital to the community

The U.S. Census Bureau announced that it will begin emailing households in low-responding areas to encourage them to respond to the 2020 Census.

Millions of emails will be sent this week and then grow in numbers and continue into September. These emails supplement a final campaign reminding people to respond to the 2020 Census on their own, as census takers begin asking households to respond to the census.

The messages alert households in low-response areas that time is running out and their response to the 2020 Census is important for their communities. The email messages will invite people to respond online at 2020census.gov.

The email messages will come from [email protected] and will give recipients the option to opt out of receiving future messages. The Census Bureau is also considering sending text messages to areas that have low response.

The deadline to submit your response to the U.S. Census Bureau has been extended three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Households have until October 31 to respond to the 2020 Census. However, census takers have begun following up with households that haven’t responded yet in select areas and will begin following up with households nationwide in August. Census takers will wear masks and follow local public health guidelines when they visit your home.

Most at-risk of going uncounted in the census include minorities, immigrants, residents in hard-to-reach or remote areas, the homeless, renters and children ages 4 and under.

Millions of people were missed in the last census in 2010, referred to as “omissions” by the Census Bureau.

It is very important to the community that every household respond to the 2020 Census. The results of the 2020 Census will help determine how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding flow into communities every year for the next decade. That funding shapes many different aspects of every community, no matter the size, no matter the location.

Think of your morning commute: Census results influence highway planning and construction, as well as grants for buses, subways, and other public transit systems.

Or think of your local schools: Census results help determine how money is allocated for the Head Start program and for grants that support teachers and special education.

The list goes on, including programs to support rural areas, to restore wildlife, to prevent child abuse, to prepare for wildfires, and to provide housing assistance for older adults.

If someone visits your home this year to collect information for the 2020 Census, check to make sure they have a valid ID badge with their photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date. Census workers may also carry Census Bureau bags and other equipment with the Census Bureau logo.