April 1. Happy National Census Day. If you didn’t put up your Census Day tree, no worries. All you have to do is complete a brief questionnaire online. The 2020 Census will determine how much federal funding flows to North Carolina communities and how much representation our state gets in Congress.

North Carolina residents began receiving invitations on March 12; the online questionnaire will be available for the next few months. Click here for more info.

“This is our chance to bring tax dollars already paid – an estimated $16 billion for our state – back to local communities to support vital infrastructure including roads, public transportation, housing and schools, and also impacts college loans and scholarships, healthcare and food assistance, among other critical social programs,” said NC Dept. of Administration Secretary Machelle Sanders.

The 2020 Census is the first in history to be available online using a computer or mobile device such as a cell phone or tablet; however, the Census survey also can be taken by phone or submitted by mail. Census support is provided in more than 60 languages.

A complete and accurate population count in the 2020 Census is critical to shaping the state’s future for the next decade.

The information is used to distribute federal funding, decide how many seats North Carolina gets in the U.S. House of Representatives, and make planning decisions at the state and local level.

The NC Complete Count Commission has worked with partners across the state to increase the participation rate from the prior Census. An undercount of our population means a significant loss of funding. According to 2010 Census data, 24 percent of North Carolina households did not respond to the Census — which risked millions of dollars lost in funding over the last decade.