The push to complete the U.S 2020 Census is underway. Every 10 years, the federal government tries to count the entire population in the United States. And every 10 years, it misses a certain percentage of people.
An undercount not only affects the accuracy of the decennial census; it also means less federal money to areas of the country that might need it. To address that problem, local, state, and federal officials are already encouraging people to complete the census saying the more people who participate, the better it is for the community.
The U.S Census results help determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S House of Representative and it helps communities plan out roads, schools, and hospitals as well as federal grant funding at stake.
There was a Voter’s League Community Census Meeting held at 6 p.m., Monday, February 25 at the Court Room of the Winston County Court House with Census official Kyra Roby speaking to a gather audience about the importance of the census.
“Each year, the federal government distributes more than $675 billion to states and communities based on Census Bureau data,” noted Roby. “We need this information and the more accurate it is, the better it is everyone”.
Historically, low-income neighborhoods have tended to be undercounted, resulting in those areas receiving less help.
According to the U.S Census Bureau, another reason why it's so important to get the census done is because businesses use that data to know where to open up their shops.
For the first time, the U.S Census Bureau said aside from mail and by phone, persons will be able to respond online.
