2020 Census: Your Response Really Matters!

Each No-Response Will Cost Kansas $20,820 over 10 years!

The once-in-a-decade national Census is underway. Most Kansans have already received their first and second rounds of invitations to complete the Census.  

The census aim is to count every person in the United State as of today, April 1, 2020. Specifically, the Census Bureau’s goal is to count everyone “once, only once, and in the right place.” 

The Census, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce, provides accurate and detailed information about people in the United States.  It provides the official count that determines how many representatives each state will have in Congress. It’s also used by state and local governments to set legislative and election districts. Many others use census data for policy and business decisions.  

The first census happened 1790, making this the 24th Census for our country. 

Officials started more than a year ago to reach the goal of getting an accurate count in Kansas. In April 2019, Gov. Laura Kelly created the Kansas Complete Count Committee, an advisory body charged with sparking public awareness of the Census.  

“I’m committed to ensuring the data we collect is as accurate as possible. The data collected in the census informs how the federal government distributes funds to our state — through 55 different federal programs. And it’s these funds that help pay for roads, schools, hospitals, emergency services and much more.” 

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, in 2019.

Each year, the federal government distributes more than $6 billion to Kansas communities for programs with funding based on Census data.  Nationally, more than 675 billion in federal aid is divided up among state and local communities on the basis of Census-derived data. 

 An under-count of just 1% of the Kansas population would cost state and local governments almost $604 million in federal funding over a 10-year period. The annual loss of federal funding from each uncounted Kansan is $2,082.  

 A 1% under-count in the NC-FH AAA 18-county region alone would cost the region $65.9 million in funds over 10 years. (See how much Census-Directed Federal Funding is targeted in each of our counties)

With these important matters on the line, the U.S. Census Bureau says that its core goal is to make the 2020 Census accessible for everyone.  The major change in 2020 is the addition of a robust online option allowing people to complete the census questionnaire. The online option will speed up the census process and allows for enhanced accessibility for those living with disabilities and for those whose primary language is not English.   

Those who do not wish to complete the Census online may use the phone option or use the traditional mail-in option. 

Those who complete their Census responses early free up Census Bureau  personnel so than they can focus on the harder-to-count populations.   

To find out more about the 2020 Census and what is at stake for Kansas, visit www.KansasCounts.org. 

This excerpt is from an feature article featured in the latest edition of Keynotes (first quarter 2020) which has just recently arrived in subscriber mailboxes. Sources for this article include the US Census Bureau at census.gov and Kansas Counts at www.KansasCounts.org. The longer article includes details on how the Census will be undertaken and some frequently asked questions. If you would like your own subscription to Keynotes, please contact us.