You count. Your family counts. This is the year the U.S. Census Bureau sends a census taker or mails a letter to every household. You’ll want to answer. Here’s why.

Your entire community benefits when everyone is counted. The federal government relies on census data, in part, to give funding to states, localities and households.

The information gets resources to the people and places that most need them. When you’re counted, you:

• Promote public safety by helping determine which communities, schools, hospitals and roads need federal funding.
• Help make sure kids in need get free and reduced school lunches.
• Enable health care providers and insurance companies to make better decisions about services they provide.

What to expect this year

The 2020 census is the first census in which you may respond online or over the phone. See your census packet for details. Note: Census workers will never contact you by email. Also, they will never ask for donations.

Sources

“What You Need to Know About The 2020 Census,” (accessed January 12, 2020), available at npr.org

The Census Counts, “Census Health Care Fact Sheet,” (accessed January 14, 2020), available at   censuscounts.org