The San Antonio Chamber of Commerce attended the “Road to Census 2020” workshop last week. The purpose of the meeting was to learn more about the upcoming changes in the 2020 census and help promote the importance of participation.
The foundation of a successful census is to establish where to count, motivate people to respond, count the population and release census results. Article 1, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution requires that each decade we take a count, or a census, of America’s population. The United States Census Bureau, a department with in the U.S Department of Commerce, is responsible for conducting the census.
Our state and city budget relies heavily on federal dollars. Our members of Congress distribute billions of dollars to states and communities, and it is critical that they have the correct data to distribute funds appropriately. In addition, we rely on census data to determine how many representatives we get in Congress and how we plan for community leads like new roads, schools, and emergency services. Most importantly, census data helps businesses determine markets – how many people live in a given area, housing needs, ages, income, educational attainment, commuting patterns and occupations.
For the 2020 Census, the U.S. Census Bureau will use new technology to make it easier than ever to respond to the census. In addition to being able to respond to the census by phone or email, you will be able to respond online.
The Chamber will be actively engaged in the census process by working with community stakeholders to conduct outreach and improve community awareness. We will also work to ensure our members understand the importance of the census and that they encourage their employees to respond.
