Why We Ask- 2020 Census

Census 101: What it is and How it Affects Me

The Census counts everyone living in the U.S. once, every ten years.  Census results determine how many seats Ohio gets in the House of Representatives.  *More than $675 billion in funds are given out based on census data.  

That money is spent on schools, hospitals, roads, and other helpful programs.  For every person not counted in Cuyahoga County, $1814 is lost in funding. 

Other programs affected by census data:

  • Medicaid

  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or “food stamps”

  • Medicare PArt B

  • Special Education Grants

  • Natioanl Lunch School Lunch Program

  • Head Start/Early Start

  • Foster Care

  • Health Care Programs

 


95% of households will receive their 2020 Census invitation by mail.

5% of households will receive their census invitation when a census taker drops it off.  In these areas the majority of households may not receive mail at their home’s physicial address (like households with a PO Bix or areas reently affected by natural disasters).

Less than 1% of households will be counted in person  by a census taker, instead of being invited to respond on their own.  This is done in remote areas like parts of northern Maine, remote Alaska, and in select American Indian areas that ask to be counted in person.

What to Expect in the Mail

Letter invitation will be sent to households asking them to go online to complete the census questionaire.  The Census Bureau will work with the U.S. Postal Service to stagger the delivery of these invitations over several days.  This way they can spread out the number of users responding online, and will be able to serve people better.

Areas that are less likely to respond online will receive a paper questionaire along with their invitation.  The invitation will also include information about how to respond onlline or by phone.

What you will receive

On or between…        You will receive

March 12-March 20 …an invitation to respond online to the 2020 Census

March 16-March 24… a reminder letter

March 26-April 3…a reminder postcard

April 8-April 16…a reminder letter and paper questionaire

April 20-April 27… a final reminder postcard before they follow up in person


To give you an idea of the type of questions the 2020 Census will ask, you can preview an informational copy of the 2020 Census questionaire. 

Click here

 

Some frequently asked questions…

 

*This information provided by the United States Census 2020 

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