The 2020 Census will form the basis of federal allocations to the states and the citizens of the United States for the next 10 years. The United States government bases its vital statistics on all “persons,” no matter what their status. So it is in the best interest of all Arizonans to do what we can to give the requested information to the Census Bureau. The count will end on October 31.
Rural states such as Arizona, with a large minority population, have the most to lose, because minority citizens have the lowest rate of return of census inquiries. A recent study from the Pew Research Center demonstrates that 21-30% of people living in the United States do not have regular or reliable access to an internet connected computer. The figure is probably higher for Arizona.
Even in our own communities of Carefree and Cave Creek, older people and others can be missed because they do not provide the needed information. The Census Bureau is under strict laws to protect personal information given to the Census Bureau, even preventing sharing personal information with other government entities.
Every person is $13,500 in resources back to our community over the next 10 years. I hope we will all do what we can to ensure we get our fair share.
Census Bureau Contacts. Call Center: 301-763-INFO (4636) or 800-923-8282 or ask.census.gov.
Thomas McGuire
Councilperson, Cave Creek
