Be Counted Newcastle: 2020 Census happening now!

Most households in America will get information on how to respond from the U.S. Census Bureau beginning now. Check your mailbox. If you don’t get a letter or want to fill it out before you get one, you can still complete the questionnaire at my2020census.gov.

You can respond online this year for the first time, or by phone or mail. It’s important to include everyone living in your household on April 1, even people temporarily living with you. People who don’t have a permanent residence should be counted where they are on April 1.

The census is the once-a-decade count of every person living in the 50 states, District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. It counts everyone, regardless of citizenship.

Why is it so important?

A complete and accurate count of Newcastle residents in the 2020 Census is critical. Experts estimate each person who isn’t counted in the census survey costs our community about $1,675 in local federal funding per person every year for 10 years. It also affects congressional representation and more.

Community services with federal funding tied to the census count include:

• Breakfast and lunch programs for schools
• Medicare and Medicaid
• Transit
• Head Start
• Highways
• Hospitals
• Pell grants

It's easy...

The census questionnaire asks nine simple questions, like how many people are living or staying in your home on April 1, whether a home is owned or rented and the age of everyone in the household. The census will not ask for your social security number, citizenship status, bank accounts or any questions on behalf of a political party.

Learn more about the census in Newcastle at cityofnewcastleok.com/census-2020

Federal law requires the U.S. Census Bureau to keep your responses confidential and protect your data. It also requires everyone to be counted in the census. Visit 2020census.gov for more on the census.