MILWAUKEE -- The Greater Milwaukee 2020 Census Complete Count Committee announced that Thursday, March 12, marks the start of the 2020 census.
The census, a count of the entire U.S. population, is mandated by Article 1, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution and takes place every 10 years. The tally must include people of ALL ages, races, and ethnic groups regardless of their citizenship status. Every household in the Greater Milwaukee area is encouraged to participate.
This week, the U.S. Census Bureau will begin mailing letters inviting every household in the U.S. to participate. By April 1, 2020, Census Day, every household will receive the invitation and be encouraged to respond by this date. For the first time in history, the U.S. Census Bureau will accept responses online and by phone, but households can still respond by mail if they prefer.
The census is a simple survey that will take about 10 minutes to complete. Every household will be asked:
Officials say households will NEVER be asked for Social Security numbers, money or donations, anything on behalf of a political party, or bank or credit card information.
Census data will be used to distribute more than $675 billion in federal funds each year over the next 10 years to states and local communities to support education, housing, transportation, health services, and more. According to the Complete Count Committee, Wisconsin receives $12.6 billion annually based on census data and will lose $1,600 every year over the next 10 years for every resident that goes uncounted. Census data will decide how many seats Wisconsin gets in the U.S. Congress and election wards.
To learn more about the census, visit milwaukee.gov/2020census. To apply for census jobs, you are encouraged to visit 2020census.gov/jobs. Salaries for Milwaukee area workers range from $20 to $24 per hour.