Why the Census Matters

Representation

Data from the Decennial Census conducted every ten years by the U.S. Census Bureau is used to draw the lines of congressional districts and influences how many congressional representatives each state gets. If North Carolina has an accurate Census count this year, it is anticipated to gain an additional seat in the house of representatives¹ .

Funding

Census data is used to allocate $675 billion a year in federal funding. This federal funding goes to support health, transportation, education, human services, and housing locally. The pie chart below shows the distribution of the $16.29 billion dollars of federal funds annually distributed in North Carolina.

Planning

Data from the Census are used by local planners to make a variety of decisions around transportation, education, emergency services, medical resources, and other important services². Nonprofits and other nongovernmental groups use Census data to plan programs and write grants. Much of the data analyzed by think tanks or other organizations informing community programming (like Forsyth Futures) is impacted by the Decennial Census.

¹ NC Counts. (n.d.). About the Census. Retrieved from: https://www.nccensus.org/about-the-census

² NC Counts. (n.d.). About the Census. Retrieved from: https://www.nccensus.org/about-the-census