It’s hard to overstate the importance of the census, especially on a local level. As city demographer Lila Valencia told the Austin Monitor, “The census touches so many aspects of our lives, from our representation at our nation’s capital, to local representation on school boards and City Council districts, to over $1.5 trillion in federal funds for […]
2020 U.S. Census
The U.S. Census is a Constitution-required count of the population that takes place once a decade (and has since 1790.) The resulting count determines how federal tax dollars, among other things, are shared for the subsequent decade.
Posted inAustin
Census changes could take political power, funding from Texas Latinos already hit hard by Covid-19
Texas’ growing Latino population is poised to be significantly undercounted in this year’s census, following a slew of recent Trump administration moves. Advocates say that means Latinos could face a decade of diminished political power and underfunding for essential government services as they try to recover from a pandemic that is disproportionately affecting them. The […]
Posted inAustin
The pandemic is making it harder for college students in Austin to get counted in the 2020 census
College students in Austin are at risk of being severely undercounted in the 2020 U.S. Census, which could put federal funding and political power for young people at risk for the next decade. The census – a national headcount that happens every 10 years – started back in March. That was also the middle of […]
Posted inAustin
A perfect storm: Covid-19, the census and redistricting
City demographer Ryan Robinson is worried about the outcome of the 2020 U.S. Census. “This is going to be a horrible census,” he told the Austin Monitor. Because of the need for social distancing to slow the spread of Covid-19, the U.S. Census Bureau has stopped collecting census data in person and plans to restart […]
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: The 2020 U.S. Census
This week, Mariana Salazar, who is the Census 2020 project director at United Way for Greater Austin, sits down with Austin Monitor reporter Jessi Devenyns to talk about why participation in this year’s national census is so important and how her organization is aiming to get everyone in the region counted. Though this week’s edition […]
Posted inAustin
COVID-19 to impact local 2020 U.S. Census effort
This past week in Austin two big initiatives took place nearly simultaneously – the start of the 2020 U.S. Census and the indefinite extension of the emergency disaster declaration in response to COVID-19. Unsurprisingly, the pandemic is having an impact on the census count. Mariana Salazar, who is the Census 2020 project director at United […]
Posted inAustin
Local efforts helping with 2020 census
City Council members heard an update on 2020 census preparations at Tuesday’s work session. The presentation emphasized the importance of the census and efforts the city and Travis County will undertake to make sure that communities at risk of being undercounted are counted to the greatest extent possible. Although many people may not realize the […]
Posted inTravis County
New nonprofit seeks to boost census participation
With six weeks until the 2020 census kicks off, the local effort to boost participation hopes to raise additional money for outreach efforts. Census Program Manager John Lawler, who is overseeing the Austin/Travis County Complete Count Committee, which both the city and county chipped in $200,000 to fund, told the Travis County Commissioners Court on […]
Posted inUncategorized
Political groups in Texas prepare to reach out to Latinos ahead of the 2020 census
If counted accurately, the 2020 U.S. census is expected to show a boom in Texas’ Latino population. That’s why groups in the state say they plan to focus their efforts on making sure Latinos here fill out the form and get counted. Jolt, a group working to increase the number of young people of color […]