Hey all, it’s Rachel, policy analysis manager and League census captain.
It’s been awhile so I’m back with a couple quick census updates.
First off, you may have heard, Minnesota was second in the nation as far as share of households counted! Yep, 75% of households across the state completed the census. Big thanks go to all of the local Complete Count Committees and others who helped achieve this. Cities, schools, counties, churches, nonprofits, local businesses and dedicated community members really stepped up in our state.
You can explore census response rates in Minnesota and across the country by state, city, or county.
How does the census know how many households there are to count before they count? As you may remember, one of the first big steps in the decennial census process is the confirmation of local addresses. That's how census workers know where to send the forms and where to do targeted follow up. So, another big thanks goes to local government officials who assisted with the Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA).
The census is pretty important for lots of reasons, but a big one is that it is going to determine whether we have seven or eight seats in Congress. In addition, about $2,800 in federal funding per person per year is
distributed into the state through formulas for all kinds of programs: housing, education, healthcare, and more. The census data even affects distribution of LGA here in Minnesota by providing population information.
What's happening now
The past few months the U.S. Census Bureau has been compiling and formatting the data. It will slowly be releasing tables and maps as they wade through all of the data.
You can visit the U.S. Census Bureau home page to see the latest.
Here at home, our Minnesota demographer’s office is closely monitoring data releases.
American Community Survey
If you are getting impatient waiting for more data, the Census Bureau did just recently release the 2019 American Community Survey (ACS) data. The ACS has taken the place of the long form census, which collected a much wider range of data like number of bedrooms, education level, etc.
You can explore this American Community Survey data here.
Again, thanks for all the work that you put in to make sure your community was counted. Be proud, and enjoy the data!
Yours in a complete and accurate count,
Rachel
