2020 Census – Everyone Counts!
By Kathy Fallert
On April 1, the 2020 United States Census will begin. Every household in the U.S. will be asked to answer a short series of questions that will influence policy making and planning for the next decade. Your participation will determine how the federal government makes its spending decisions. That’s right; the census affects federal funding for communities, schools, hospitals and roads.
At the local level, the census information is used to determine construction of new schools, libraries, highway and public transportation systems, roads and bridges and the location of new police and fire departments, among many other projects. Your participation in the census is important. For every person who is counted, the City of Castle Pines alone earns up to $2,300 per person each year for the next 10 years. In addition, the census also determines how many seats a state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The census began back in 1790 under Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. The first censuses were conducted by U.S. marshals before the Census Bureau was created in 1902. The census currently collects information about where people live, their names, how they are related, their race, their age and their phone number.
Starting in mid-March, you will receive a letter asking you to go online to complete the brief census questionnaire. The U.S. Census Bureau will never ask for things like your social security number, bank or credit card information, anything on behalf of a political party or for any money or donations.
If your response isn’t received, the U.S. Census Bureau will send up to five mailings to encourage your participation online, by mail or by phone. Be sure you have an up-to-date mailing address with the Department of Motor Vehicles and watch your mail for a letter from the U.S. Census Bureau.
