What you need to know about the 2020 US Census

A special sample of our new brief series of emails No images? [Click here]( [The Conversation]( Dear Reader, We're trying something new and we hope you'd like to be part of it: a series of five emails, giving insights from scholars on the important topic of this year's census. The emails cover its history, challenges and impact. This is the first part – if you'd like to get the remaining four emails during the next two weeks, just [click the button](. [Sign me up!]( Something like 329 million people live in the U.S. today. Over the next few months, the U.S. Census Bureau aims to count them all. As in any census year, that will be a significant feat. This year’s census will cost U.S. taxpayers a projected $15.6 billion, and require the hiring of about 500,000 temporary workers. (The [first census](, by the way, in 1790, cost the federal government about $44,000.) It will take about a year of work to collect the results, from starting with a count in rural Alaska in January, all the way to when the bureau delivers the final tally to the president and Congress. Workers must find ways to count those who don’t speak English, or are moving, or live in illegal units or on hidden roads. Some Americans don't trust the federal government with their information. Some may be confused about the process -- not realizing that they need to include young children and noncitizens in their response. In the runup to this year’s count, the bureau has faced new challenges: [chronic underfunding](; [multiple lawsuits](; a culture of [misinformation]( and [mistrust](; and now, of course, a global pandemic that may delay the final results. At stake is nothing less than 435 congressional seats and $1.5 trillion in federal funding. Demographers expect Texas, Florida, Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina and Oregon to pick up new seats in the House of Representatives. Nine states will likely lose one apiece: Alabama, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia. When it comes to funding, some states get more than others, depending on number and need. I live in Washington, which received $1,819.44 per capita in 2017 for Medicare, one of the main ways that the funding is spent. The headquarters of The Conversation US are in Massachusetts, which got $2,746.19 per capita. The census also holds enormous symbolic power for this country. The U.S. was [the first country to take a regular census](. The data, collected every 10 years since, charts the story of our changing nation. Rebecca Tippett at UNC Chapel Hill [put it beautifully in a recent story](: “The U.S. census is the most democratic and inclusive activity we do as a country.” Here at The Conversation US, we’ve been talking about the census a lot. We’ve spent the last two years speaking with experts about the 2020 census, producing dozens of stories for readers across the country. Over the course of these five lessons, sent to your inbox every three days, I want to share their thoughts and scholarship with you. (And by the way, there will be a final exam.) In a chaotic news cycle, I know that there are a lot of demands on your time. We’re glad to have you join us. Homework: Check your mail! Have you received your letter from the Census Bureau yet? The first wave of letters went out on March 12. If you have, you can [fill it out online](. If you didn’t, you might want to [check and see why](. Additional reading: If you’re looking to better understand what’s at stake in this year’s census, Jennifer van Hook at Penn State University says she found these two op/eds from the New York Times “very insightful”: - [The Coronavirus Could Change the Way We Take the Census]( - [Changes to the Census Could Make Small Towns Disappear]( This is the end of part 1. If you'd like to get the rest of this email series, starting on Tuesday, please click the button below. [Sign me up for 4 more emails]( Stay safe, Aviva Rutkin Data Editor The Conversation US [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( [Website]( You're receiving this because you are subscribed to one of The Conversation's newsletters. The Conversation US, 89 South Street, Suite 202, Boston, MA 02111 USA. Note that clicking the Unsubscribe link below will unsubscribe you from our newsletter. [Forward]( [Unsubscribe](