Federal funding is dependent on census data

When you respond to the census, you help Tylertown and Walthall County get its fair share of the more than $675 billion per year in federal funds spent on schools, hospitals, roads, public works and other programs.
Census responses are used to produce statistics about how many people live in what areas and who they are by age, sex, race and ethnicity. When those statistics are combined with other data, government policymakers are better equipped to made decisions about how to allocate federal dollars for public services–hospitals, schools, road repairs and emergency response services for the next decade.
Knowing how many children live in a community will provide the foundation for important policy and planning decisions over the next 10 years. Should a community build a new library? A new school? Should it expand Head Start for pre-K children?
That’s why it is so important to count everyone living in your home, including babies born on or before April 1, 2020 (even if they’re still in the hospital but will live you when they get out). Be sure to count children of relatives, friends or other people who live and sleep in your home most of the time.
Census results can affect funding for many programs aimed at school-age children, including the National School Lunch Program, a program that funds free or reduced-price lunches for low-income students; Title 1 grants for local schools, a program that helps schools with a high percentage of students from low-income households; grants for state special education programs; the Head Start Program for low-income preschool children; teacher training, available to schools across the country.
For college students there are PELL grants; aid for land grant and historically black colleges and universities; federal grants for vocational training.
Low-income individuals and families benefit through SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. It is the second-largest federal program tied to census statistics.
Medical programs, child care, job preparation and other temporary assistance programs; housing assistance.
In the broad landscape of disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, U.S. Census Bureau data can be immensely valuable. The Census Bureau produces timely local data that are critical to emergency planning, preparedness, and recovery efforts for all types of emergencies.
The Census Bureau’s ongoing surveys of businesses will also assist in measuring the economic impact of COVID-19 and other emergencies and help in the country’s eventual recovery.
American Community Survey statistics are helping identify counties with large at-risk populations such as the elderly. The Census Bureau’s ongoing surveys of businesses will also assist in measuring the economic impact of COVID-19 and other emergencies and help in the country’s eventual recovery.