Day 1: Census Day 2020
Census Day 2020: April 1, 2020
Today, April 1, 2020, is Census Day! Today and tomorrow I will be sharing information about the Census, what it is, how it's completed, and how it impacts YOU!
Every ten years, every household has to respond to the Government's request for information. In 2030, you might even be filling out your own!
Today my husband and I sat down, went to the Census website, and answered questions about who lives in our household. It is our civic duty to respond to the Census and now, for the first time, it can be completed online!
Watch the video below to learn a little about the Census!
Source: 2020 Census PSA, US Census Bureau
What is the Census?
The Census counts every person living in the United States and five US territories (Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands).
What happens if a household doesn't respond to the Census?
If a household doesn't respond to the Census they can be fined, although the government has not fined households since the 1970s. If a household doesn't respond to the Census in April the government will send a Census Taker to their house to ask the questions starting in May 2020.
Why do we have the Census?
No Taxation without Representation!
One of the major reasons the United States rebelled against Great Britain was because colonists did not feel represented in the government. There have been many debates about how people should be counted and how to balance representation and taxes between the states. The Constitution lays out how people will be represented in the US Government. The House of Representatives is determined by the Census. Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution of the United States states:
"Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers..."
The Census is the way that the United States counts the "respective numbers".
How long has the Census been happening?
The Census has been conducted every ten years since 1790. The actually year has varied throughout history but now the Census is completed in years ending in 0. The next Census will be completed in 2030.
Why is it important to complete the Census?
The Census determines how many Representatives each state is allowed to represent them in the House of Representatives. (Apportionment)
The government also uses information from the Census to redistrict boundaries for congressional districts, legislative districts, and school districts.
Federal, state, and local funding is determined by the amount of people in each region, which is impacted by the numbers in the Census. This impacts funding for schools, roads, hospitals, and funding for older adult programs. It is crucial that households respond to the Census so that their area gets the funds they need!
Have the adults in your life responded to the Census yet?
Ask your family members if they have completed the Census yet! Let them know how important the Census is to school funding and funding for hospitals. If they haven't, you can direct them to the website to respond:
You can also share this document below from the Census Bureau with them that explains more about which programs are impacted by the Census information.
Additional Questions: Pick out one program/agency that could be impacted by the Census and learn what it does! Google the agency and look at its "about" page.
Day 2: Apportionment & Census Fun!
What is Apportionment?
We learned yesterday that the Census impacts the number of Representatives each state has in the House of Representatives. Apportionment is the process of dividing the seats in the House of Representatives among the 50 states based on the population figures collected during the Census.
Source: The U.S. Census and the Amazing Apportionment Machine; US Census Bureau
Fun with the Census!
Check out the following fun resources about the Census!
March (April?) Census Madness: Can you figure out which cities have the largest population?
Take a Quiz and see how much you know about people in the United States!
Compare the 1790 Census to the 2020 Census. Share with your family the most interesting fact you learn from the website!
Take a tour of the Census Bureau!