The Census only happens every ten years. So, the data collected in this year’s count will be used for the next decade to determine where to invest services, how much federal funds communities receive, and government representation. With the "Who Counts" project, young people are talking about what makes their community important and why their neighbors need to fill out the census.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused local leaders to quickly pivot in how they did census outreach. Syracuse’s self-response rate remains below what it was during the 2010 Census. The deadline was changed late in the summer by the Trump administration from October 31st to September 30th, giving organizers even less time.
However, just a week before responses were set to end, a federal judge in California issued a preliminary injunction requiring the Census Bureau to continue counting through October 31st. The Justice Department is expected to appeal the ruling.
Pieces were edited by Cole Oppedisano. This project is in collaboration with the City of Syracuse. Fill out the census online at my2020census.gov. It can also be completed by phone or paper form.
Updated September 25th to reflect the change in deadline for census responses.
