Public Employee Press

U.S. Census: Stand up and be counted!

The U.S. Census Bureau has mailed out questionnaires nationwide to collect important data, and from May through July canvassers will visit households that didn’t respond.

The bureau carries out the census every 10 years, and the government uses the data to determine the amount of federal assistance allocated to states and the number of their Congressional seats.

“The purpose of the U.S. Census goes way beyond giving us a snapshot of the American people,” DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts said. “If we are unrepresented, we won’t receive our fair share of federal assistance and we will undermine our own political power. So it’s critical for New Yorkers to fill out the questionnaire.”

Every year, the federal government allocates over $400 billion to states and communities based on U.S. Census data.

In New York, the federal assistance amounts to $2,000 for each resident.

The federal funds go toward community services, such as school lunch programs and senior citizen centers, as well as the construction of new roads and hospitals.

Because of undercounting, New York State has lost $3.6 billion in federal assistance since the 2000 Census, according to U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. The state lost that funding because 200,000 residents failed to espond to the census. In 2000, the official U.S. Census count of the state’s population was just under 19 million.

The U.S. Census Bureau offers help to people in many languages for filling out the questionnaire.

The bureau will also assist people with hearing and visual impairments, as well as those who are unable to read or understand the questionnaire.