Citizens are being asked to return information to the U.S. Census.
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Citizens are being asked to return information to the U.S. Census.
CARNESVILLE – Every household in Franklin County should have been received a packet from the U.S. Census by now.
April 1 was Census Day and observed nationwide.
By April 1, every home was to receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census.
The 2020 United States Census marks the 24th time the country has counted its population since 1790.
Article 1, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution mandates a count of the population once every 10 years.
According to www.2020census.gov, the count will include the population in the United States and five U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands).
Census results determine how hundreds of billions of dollars of federal funding are directed to states and communities.
Examples of this include funding for hospitals, roads, schools, school lunches, Medicare, Medicaid, fire departments, rescue services, infrastructure and much more.
Census data also determines congressional representation.
Quite literally, the effort citizens make today to help obtain an accurate count will directly affect decisions for the future.
Along with determining federal funding, census data is widely used by corporations looking to build or expand into an area.
Many companies have population numbers cut-offs they consider when looking at possible locations, automatically ruling out an area that data says is under their population requirements.
Communities on the bubble can miss out on economic opportunities if its numbers are under-reported.
Business owners use census data to determine where to open new restaurants, stores and factories and where to recruit workers, as well as what type of services to provide.
Franklin County is among communities across the country that are stepping up to raise awareness of the importance of an accurate count.
In the 2010 Census, Franklin County had a response rate of 83.9 percent.
Franklin County Manager Beth Thomas said she would like to see that response rate increase for the 2020 count.
“We need to stress to everyone how important it is to get the count accurate,” Thomas said. “Everything from funding for our roads to how much money we get for schools depends on the census numbers.”
The goal of the 2020 Census is a complete and accurate count of everyone living in the United States and its five territories.
Citizens should count themselves at the place where they are living and sleeping most of the time as of April 1.
For some, this is straightforward.
But others—including college students, service members, and people in health care facilities—may have questions about where they should count themselves or how they should respond.
Other circumstances can cause confusion as well, such as moving, having multiple residences, having no permanent address, living in a shelter, or living at a hotel or RV park.
Guidelines offered by the Census for filling out the form are:
• If you are filling out the census for your home, you should count everyone who is or will be living there as of April 1, 2020.
• This includes anyone—related or unrelated to you—who lives and sleeps at your home most of the time. Please be sure to count roommates, young children, newborns, and anyone who is renting a space in your home. If someone is staying in your home on April 1 and has no usual home elsewhere, you should count them in your response to the 2020 Census.
• Please count everyone living in your home. Where there are more people, there are more needs. An accurate count helps inform funding for hospitals, fire departments, schools, and roads for the next 10 years.
There are special procedures in place to count Group Living Quarters populations.
Group quarters are places where people live or stay in a group living arrangement.
These places are owned or managed by an entity or organization that provides residents with housing and/or services.
The Census Bureau will identify a group quarters administrator at each location to ensure that citizens are counted in the 2020 Census.
Some examples of group quarters include:
• College/university student housing (i.e., dorms, residence halls, etc.)
• Residential treatment centers
• Skilled nursing facilities
• Group homes
• Military barracks
• Correctional facilities
• Maritime and military vessels
The U.S. Census Bureau has adjusted operations to make sure college students are counted who would have been away but are now home due to the coronavirus.
• College students living in on-campus housing are counted through their university as part of our Group Quarters Operation, which counts all students living in university owned housing. In addition to college dormitories, the Group Quarters Operation also includes places like nursing homes, group homes, halfway houses and prisons.
• During our recent 2020 Census Group Quarters Advance Contact operation we contacted college/university student housing administrators to get their input on the enumeration methods that will allow students to participate in the 2020 Census.
• In general, students in colleges and universities temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 virus will still be counted as part of this process. Even if they are home on Census Day, April 1, they should be counted according to the residence criteria which states they should be counted where they live and sleep most of the time. We are asking schools to contact their students and remind them to respond.
• Per the Census Bureau’s residence criteria, in most cases students living away from home at school should be counted at school, even if they are temporarily elsewhere due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Census will not ask about citizenship status.
Non-citizens are counted in the census. Everyone counts.
By law, the Census Bureau cannot be share answers with law enforcement. Answers cannot be used to impact eligibility for government benefits. Answers are only used to create statistics about our country.
The Census Bureau is bound by Title 13 of the U.S. Code to protect personal information and keep it strictly confidential. That’s every answer to every question.
Citizens are not required to take the 2020 Census online, although that is the quickest way to complete the form.
The 2020 Census is available online, by phone, and by mail. Online and phone responses can be completed in 13 languages.
During the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau will never ask for:
• Social Security number.
• Money or donations.
• Anything on behalf of a political party.
• Bank or credit card account numbers.
According to the 2020Census.gov, if someone claiming to be from the Census Bureau contacts you via email or phone and asks you for one of these things, it is a scam and you should not cooperate.
Historically, the populations with the greatest lack of involvement have been households with children under the age of 5.
Often those who fill out the Census form do not include those children.
It is especially important the children in this age bracket are counted because the funding for their upcoming school years is directly obtained from these numbers.
Educational funding depends on an accurate number to properly allocate federal and state monies.
The guidelines in counting children for the Census include:
• Count children in the home where they live and sleep most of the time, even if their parents don’t live there.
• If a child’s time is divided between two homes, count them where they stay most often. If they evenly divide their time, or you do not know where they stay most often, count them where they are staying on April 1, 2020.
• If a child moves during March or April 2020, count them at the address where they are living on April 1.
• Count children living in your home if they don’t have a permanent place to live and are staying with you on April 1, even if they are only staying temporarily.
• Count newborns at the home where they will live and sleep most of the time, even if they are still in the hospital on April 1.
• Remind neighbors to count all children living or sleeping in their home most of the time, regardless of who or where their parents are.
This year, there are three ways to response to your 2020 Census form: online, via mail, and by phone.
For those with internet access, a wealth of easy-to-find information and answers to any questions can be found at http://www.2020census.gov.
Citizens may also call 1-844-330-2020 from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. for help filling out their census form.