This year is the ten year mark for the next U.S. census count and with the help of modern technology, you can make sure you get counted by filling out the questionnaire online. The last census count was in 2010. “The goal of the census is to count every person living in the United States, once, only once and in the right place. Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution mandates that this population and housing count occur every 10 years. Census data guides how more than $675 billion of federal funding is distributed to states and communities each year.” This is why getting counted is so important. If the governme

nt is not aware of your existence, the funding needed to support you and your family might not be considered. Even though in the past the census data may have been used to further marginalize some communities, amongst other American institutions, taking an active stance to make sure you get counted is pivotal. The fact that the process has been streamlined to be at your fingertips instead of being more manual makes it easier to ensure you’re involved in the process. In the past census count in 2010 and many more before it, there were other methods that involved proctors physically going out to people’s residences to collect the data. 

The statistics that typically get recorded include the following and are recorded for any city, county, and state. 

• Population – population per location chosen
• Age and Sex – age recorded for people under 5 yr old, under 18 yr old, over 65 yr old, & gender not based on gender identity
• Race and Hispanic Origin – ethnic origins
• Population Characteristics – veterans and foreign-born people 
• Housing – ownership, housing units, ownership and rent costs medians 
• Families and Living Arrangements – number of households, people per household and length of time living in same home for more than a year
• Computer and Internet Use – households with a computer and internet subscription 
• Education – high school & bachelor’s degrees over a certain age 
• Health – disability and people without health insurance 
• Economy – revenues based on certain group sets 
• Transportation – mean commute time to work 
• Income and Poverty – median household income and poverty levels 
• Business – organized by a variety of group sets 
• Geography – land area mileage and population

In the 2010 census, the population stat was recorded as such:

It will be interesting to see what the data from the 2020 census will yield since the questions asked aren’t as specific to the topics mentioned above. With the inevitable change of the times, the questions have changed and will likely not encompass the exact same topics, as our needs as a society evolve. It will also be interesting to see how the COVID-19 pandemic will impact the numbers for this 2020 Census. In this year’s questionnaire “There are only nine questions on the census. They ask very basic demographic questions: who lives in the household; how they are related; their age, sex, and race; whether they own or rent their house; and their phone number.” I’m curious to know what other information they will be able to pull from this brief questionnaire.

To take advantage of the opportunity, go to this website to complete your census count today if you have not done so already. 

• https://my2020census.gov/  

This link will provide updates on the status of deadlines regarding getting counted. 

• https://2020census.gov/en/important-dates.html 

This cite will be able to provide you with answers to frequently asked questions and instructions if this is your first time participating in this capacity, online, as an adult, with dependents, etc.

The census is available to be completed in thirteen languages and the questionnaire takes less than ten minutes to complete. 

Stay empowered, informed, healthy, and make sure you get counted in 2020!

written by

Naomi Crumpley

Resident Fashion Consultant/Blogger

Power In One