The data collected from each census are used in many ways. Some examples include :

• Transportation planning
• Anticipating needs for hospitals, nursing homes, and health services
• Attracting and expanding businesses for economic development
• Drawing school boundaries
• Establishing fair market rents
• Emergency response
• To determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives
• To inform legislative redistricting at the federal, state, and local levels
• To distribute federal fund allocations to states, counties, and local communities
• To provide statistics in support of grant applications
• To assist communities, such as those in Prince George’s County, in planning for the future

The Census affects you, your family, and your entire community. The data helps decision makers understand how your community is changing so they can plan for future needs.

Each state receives federal funds for community investment. If you live, work, or spend time in Prince George’s County, you benefit from those investments.

When investments are made in factories, homes, business offices, stores, or neighborhood revitalization projects, the community benefits from not just the project, but also job creation and the flow of money into the local economy. 

The community benefits from building and maintaining schools, hospitals, transportation infrastructure, public safety, and emergency preparedness initiatives.

In the study, titled Counting for Dollars 2020: The Role of the Decennial Census in the Geographic Distribution of Federal Funds, the per capita totals across 16 programs that were examined had a national average of $1,850 (US). Maryland was very close to the National average with a total of $1,825 (US). Although this total does not indicate the amount by which federal funding increases for each additional person counted, it does give a sense of the magnitude of federal funding associated with the population. Open an interactive map of the Counting for Dollars data.  

In March 2020, most households will receive an initial invitation to respond to Census 2020 in the mail. The invitation will come from the U.S. Census Bureau and will ask for information on everyone living in your household, including all family members and non-family members. Depending on your preference, you will have the option of responding online, by mail, or by phone. 

Any information you share with the Census Bureau is strictly confidential. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share individual responses with anyone, including any court of law, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Internal Revenue Service, state of federal welfare departments, or governments and programs. The Census Bureau only uses individual responses to produce summary statistics, which further protects individuals from being identified.

Success of the census depends on community involvement at every level. Prince George’s County is collaborating with the U.S. Census Bureau to help increase participation in the 2020 Census and to eliminate under-counting among historically under-counted segments of the population, such as those with young children.

Counting Young Children

Children under the age of 5 are the most under-counted age group. It is important to count every child in Prince George’s County to ensure we can plan for future needs including hospitals, schools, public safety and more.