— from Liz Thompson for U.S. Census Bureau —

The 2020 Census is under way and we need to make sure every person is counted. Every 10 years since 1790 the government counts every person living in the country. The data collected helps determine how much federal funding our community gets for schools, medical centers, roads, bridges, Pell Grants, Transportation, Libraries, food for children, Senior Centers, and seats in Congress.

Rural communities are some of the hardest to count. In light of the COVID-19 virus, it is even more important that everyone gets counted since the census helps determine funding for many health-related programs.

Invitations to participate in the 2020 Census were sent to most homes in March. People who live in rural communities or who have PO boxes were not notified by mail but recently had a census worker drop off an invitation packet at their home.

Completing the census has never been easier – go online, call a toll-free number, or return your questionnaire by mail.

  1. Answer online at www.2020census.gov
  2. Call toll-free to 844.330.2020 (English) or 844.468.2020 (Spanish). Call centers are open from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m.
  3. Return a paper form via the mail (this option is only available if you received a paper form in the mail)

If you do not self-respond, a census worker will be sent to your home later this summer to collect census information.

Make sure you are counted and complete your 2020 Census now. The census is critical to making your community a better place to live for the next 10 years! 10 minutes, 10 questions, 10 years impact. Let’s get a 100% participation rate for our community!

You can find more information about the census at www.2020census.gov.