Springfield mayor encourages participation in census

(From the City of Springfield)

The 2020 U.S. census officially begin Jan. 21 in the Alaska Native village of Toksook Bay, Alaska, on the Bering Sea. March 12-20, the U.S. Census Bureau will mail every household in Missouri an invitation to respond to the census online, by phone or by mail. Households without internet access will receive a paper questionnaire.

Mayor Ken McClure encourages Springfield citizens to participate in the census to ensure the Springfield community is accurately represented on the federal level.

“The census gives us a real opportunity to make sure that each one of our citizens are counted,” Mayor McClure said. “Federal agencies rely on census data to determine funding allocations for our public safety agencies, hospitals, schools and public infrastructure projects. The results of the census also determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives, and they are used to draw congressional and state legislative districts.”

For every adult and every child that is not counted, Missouri loses an estimated $1,300 in federal dollars. As a result of the 2010 census, Missouri loss a congressional seat and millions of dollars in federal funding. 

About the census

The U.S. census is conducted every 10 years and is mandated by the Constitution and conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, a nonpartisan government agency. The census counts the population in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands).

Responses to the census are safe, secure, and protected by federal law. Responses should be based on household information as of April 1. Your answers can only be used to produce statistics. They cannot be used against you in any way.

By law, all responses to the U.S. Census Bureau household and business surveys are kept completely confidential. Households that don’t respond to the census will continue to receive reminders, including U.S. census workers visiting your home. The final census counts are due to the president Dec. 1.