There has never been a more important time to complete the U.S. Census. San Antonio's response rate is at 58.6%. While we are making great progress, there is still much work to be done. The national self-response rate is 61.8%, while the state of Texas is at 56.5%. We cannot afford to fall further behind. We need your help. Tell everyone – your friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues – that you will complete the census and they should too. And, you can complete the Census right from the comfort of your own home – online, by phone or by mail.
Your San Antonio Chamber of Commerce has been working hard to inform the community about how important it is that we get a complete count. Census data is important, because it determines the amount of federal funding our city receives for education, infrastructure, transit, waste disposal systems, public safety, and more. From your morning commute to the schools your children attend, the Census shapes every aspect of your daily life, no matter where you live in San Antonio. We all benefit from an accurate and complete census count. An undercount could mean resources and political power for our community get assigned somewhere else — somewhere that already has more money, more privilege, and more power. In addition to federal funding, a fair and accurate count builds political power for your community and state.
Census data impacts Congress, state legislatures, school boards, city council – all the elected officials that make decisions which impact our daily lives. State and local decision makers need to know where people live and work to build a community that works for everyone. In conjunction with data from other sources like the American Community Survey, governments can make decisions like where a new bus route is needed, if it makes sense to build a new school in a certain neighborhood, and the best location to distribute supplies in an emergency.
Your response matters. It is not too late to respond.
Click here to watch a video message about the importance of the Census from our President and CEO Richard Perez
For more information about the US Census, please contact Stephanie Reyes, VP of Public Policy at sreyes@sachamber.org or by phone at 210-229-2162. Additional resources can be found at SABexarCountMeIn.org and the Chamber’s business resource completecountsa.com.
