Helping your community by completing the US Census

By Vin Gopal, Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey

Time is running out to respond to the 2020 US Census with the September 30 deadline approaching, and that should matter to all of us.

If you already completed the 2020 Census, thank you. The information you provide the US Census Bureau every 10 years has a profound impact on our quality of life. The federal government uses Census information to determine the amount of aid to states for hundreds of programs, from Social Security and health care to transportation and education. The results of the 2020 Census impact every community, because the Census determines how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding will flow into communities for the next decade.

However, New Jersey’s response rate is currently at 65.7 percent. In 2010, only 67.6 percent of Garden State residents responded, resulting in severe undercounting. Several of our Legislative District 11 towns are below the state average. We can do better and here’s why we should.

Completing the census is especially important for New Jersey residents because our state gets back only 79 cents for every $1 we pay in federal income taxes to Washington. That’s the lowest return in the nation. It represents a loss of $2,792 per person, the highest in the nation.

Census data are used to calculate the federal match on state spending for Medicaid; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP); the Food Stamp program (SNAP); housing assistance; Head Start; Highway Planning and Construction; healthcare for veterans, and Pell grants for college students.

By completing the census, you are helping people in need put food on the table for their families, or get job training that will enable them to improve their incomes. When you participate in the census you are increasing federal infrastructure aid to fix potholes, repair dilapidated bridges and pay for highway planning and construction, as well as grants for buses, subways, and our beleaguered NJ Transit system.

Census data feeds into the U.S. Department of Education’s two biggest elementary and secondary programs, through Title I (compensatory education) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (special education). These programs rely on the census for counts of school-aged children and children in poverty at the state and school district levels.

The list goes on. The Census impacts funding for preventing child abuse, providing housing assistance for older adults, protecting wildlife and preparing for wildfire, beach replenishment and aid to help towns recover from severe storms.

The Census Bureau is bound by federal law to protect and keep your information confidential. Your data is safe, and used only for statistical purposes. Information provided by non-documented residents also is safe and the Census Bureau does not share your citizenship status with any other federal or state agency. The Census Bureau will never ask for your Social Security number, bank or credit card account numbers, money or donations, or anything on behalf of a political party.

The federal government mailed Census forms to all New Jersey households in March. If you don’t still have yours or prefer to fill it out online or by phone, please visit the US Census 2020 website at my2020census.gov or call 844-330-2020. To speak with a representative in a language other than English, visit the NJ Census 2020 website at nj.gov/state/census.

By participating in the US Census, you are helping your family and community. That’s why we urge our Legislative District 11 partners – churches, nonprofit, community, civil, labor and business organizations – to reach out to their congregants, clients and members and encourage them to fill out their Census forms; because by taking part in the Census, we are making New Jersey a better place to live for everyone.

Stay safe.