Today is #CensusDay, when everyone is encouraged to make sure they are counted and fill out the 2020 Census—and when you are encouraged to reach out to friends, family, congregations, and your community to make sure they are counted.
Find a complete page of resources at https://pachurchesadvocacy.org/resources/2020-census-resources/.
Why is the Census important?
The U.S. Constitution requires a census of all residents in the entire country every 10 years. The census counts every person living in the U.S. once (and only once) in the right place. You are counted based on where you are living on April 1, 2020.
Everyone Counts
You might be living in an apartment, house, group housing situation (like a dorm or nursing home). You might be experiencing homelessness. Regardless of your living situation, you count as a Pennsylvanian. It also doesn’t matter what your citizenship status is, how old you are, or your gender. If you live here, you matter to Pennsylvania and the census.
Fair Representation
Neighborhoods change over time. The census makes note of these demographic changes and reports the statistics. This information is then used to determine how many seats each state gets in the U.S. House of Representatives. Pennsylvania currently has 18 Congressional representatives. We used to have 19 but lost a seat after the 2010 Census.
Additionally, state officials use the statistics produced by the decennial census to redraw U.S. congressional and state legislative districts.
Federal Spending & Programs
Census data are used to decide how $675 billion in federal public funding is spent every year. Pennsylvania gets $26.8 billion annually through our 16 largest federally-funded programs. That’s about $2,000 per Pennsylvanian each year.
These numbers may change based on our 2020 Census data. Federal funding supports many important programs and services for Pennsylvanians, including in healthcare, food security, education, transportation, housing, community development, support for families, and more.
We ALL count in the eyes of God—let’s ALL count in the eyes of our government!
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