Fill out a Census form and help your community
Everyone is urged to take part in the 2020 Census, because much is at stake, including representation in Congress and $1.5 trillion in federal funding.
The Census Bureau has mailed out invitations to participate in the Census with instructions on how to respond. People can fill out a Census form on a computer, smartphone, or tablet or respond by mail or by calling this number. The deadline is Aug. 14. As of March 18, more than 11 million households have already responded.
To ensure everyone is counted, Census enumerators go door to door to reach people who haven’t responded by other means. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, field operations for the 2020 Census have been delayed by two weeks. Census workers will begin the door-to-door count in late May, rather than mid-May and will finish on Aug. 14 instead of July 31.
Responses are confidential, and there is no question about citizenship.
This is why an accurate count is critical:
- The Census is used for establishing congressional, state legislature, and local districts. An accurate count ensures a person’s vote is equivalent across districts. If too many people fail to respond, a community could lose a seat in Congress.
- Population is a major component of funding formulas at all levels of government and determines how much money a community can get for schools, roads, and other public programs and services.
- For each Fairfax County resident who fails to respond to the Census, the county could lose $12,000 in potential funding over the course of a decade.
- Census information is used by Fairfax County officials to determine the need for transportation, schools, and other infrastructure projects.
- Population statistics are used to determine the number of emergency responders needed in a given area and how to plan for emergency situations.
- Businesses use Census data to decide where to build new stores, offices, and factories, which create jobs.
- The data collected on the Census about race (White, Black or African American, Asian, American Indian and Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander) and ethnicity (Hispanic or Latino and Not Hispanic or Latino) are used by policymakers to make funding decisions on education, healthcare, equity, and other issues.
