The U.S. Census in 2020 will appear in mailboxes sometime in March, but efforts are already underway to ramp up participation.

Rob Gilligan from the Kansas Association of School Boards encourages everyone to take part because the Census has become the point of measure for the allocation of billions of federal funds each year. “Kansas receives approximately $5 billion annually through many different federal programs ... Based on Kansas’s population, that means that for each person counted in Kansas in the 2010 Census, we receive roughly $2,000 per year in federal funds.

The group OurCount.org notes that participation in the Census helps determine how federal funding is distributed nationwide, including for programs such as SNAP, Head Start and the National School Lunch Program. The information is used to determine where businesses choose to invest in new factories, offices and other job opportunities. It is important for preserving our history for future generations. It is also used to determine how many seats each state gets in the U.S. House of Representatives.

A fair and accurate Census benefits all of us.

According to the official U.S. Census website, 2020census.gov, the Census is mandated by the U.S. Constitution in Article 1, Section 2. The United States has counted its population every 10 years since 1790.

By law, the Census Bureau cannot release any identifiable information about you, your home, or your business, even to law enforcement agencies. Answers are strictly confidential. The law ensures that your private information is never published and that your answers cannot be used against you by any government agency or court.

The Census also creates jobs, including 20,000 in Kansas that pay $15 an hour. These include census takers, recruiting assistants, office staff and supervisory staff. If you’re looking for temporary work, apply online at www.2020census.gov/jobs.

Be counted this year.