In case you haven’t heard, we are in the midst of counting everyone who lives in the United States, and your participation is needed and encouraged. The census includes citizens and non-citizens – people of all ages, races and ethnic groups. It is vital that everyone take part.

The census is a requirement of the U.S. Constitution. It was first conducted in 1790 and has been carried out every ten years since. The 2010 census is the 23rd headcount of the population in our nation’s history. The final tally of the first census was 3.9 million; this year the number is expected to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 309 million. Certainly, our nation has grown a bit.

One of the first questions many people ask is, “How does the census help me?”  The answer is all around. Every year, the federal government can allocate more than $400 billion to states and communities based, in part, on census data. Census data guide planning for new hospitals, roads, job training centers, schools and more. The information is used to determine the need for additional social services, block grants and other grant programs essential to many communities. The numbers are also used when deciding on a diverse range of local initiatives, from justifying the need for an after-school program to designating urban revitalization areas.

An inaccurate count could mean the loss of vital public services. In the past, thousands of New Yorkers have not been counted. That means their communities are passed over for transportation projects or funding for new police officers. By ensuring everyone is counted during the census, we are guaranteeing a fair distribution of funding.

Census numbers are also used to determine our representation in Washington D.C. Without a full accounting of our state’s population we may not have our fair share of congressional representatives.