GREENSBORO, N.C. — The U.S. Census comes around once every 10 years.
The goal is to get an accurate count of how many people live in a community.
By law, everyone living in the United States is required to fill out the 2020 census. That information is used to determine how many seats a state gets in Congress, plus that state's share of more than a trillion dollars in federal funding.
"The more seats the state has in Congress, the bigger that state's voice and the wider the pipeline is of resources," Assistant regional census manager Marilyn Stephens said.
Filling out the census ensures communities get money for things like roads, schools, housing, unemployment, and emergency services. Stephens said the coronavirus pandemic highlights the importance.
"What do you hear every day? We are waiting for federal funding to have more testing sites. Our healthcare providers need more resources," Stephens said. "And those funds are based on the population.
But getting everyone counted is easier said than done.
"Often parents leave their children off the census questionnaire and not realizing that they need to be counted too," Stephen said.
Census data collected as of Wednesday, Aug 26. shows North Carolina ranks 37th among states at a 60.4 % response rate, four points below the national average of 64.6%.
Our Triad counties fared better, but Stephens said that's not good enough.
"We have to get to 100%," Stephens said.
To help raise the response rates, census bureau workers are going door to door and calling households that have yet to complete the census.
Stephens said it's important to note, by law census takers cannot share any identifying information with authorities.
"That's the number one concern. If I provide you with my information can someone use it against me as we go through the decade? And the answer is no," Stephens said.
It only takes a few minutes to fill out. The deadline is Sept. 30th. You can complete it by going to my2020census.gov or by calling 844-330-2020.