We only get one chance every 10 years to make sure our city and state's needs are met by way of the US Census. It's not to late to take it; so how is Utah showing up when it comes to taking the national census?
Mallory Bateman, the State Data Center Coordinator and member of the Complete Count Committee says, "This year for the first time ever the census is online which allows us to track how our response rate is doing. Currently, almost 60% of Utahns have completed their census. So, there are still a lot of Utahns that need to be counted!"
But why do this in the first place?
Mallory explains, "Census data impacts life in Utah more than you may know. It plays a role in our education, roads, healthcare, and political representation. The outcome of the census can determine political representation down to the local level, including school boards and city councils. Infrastructure decisions like road repairs and public transit development, use information based on census counts. Public safety uses these numbers to guide decisions about service areas, fire stations, police precincts and hospitals. The census impacts every part of life in Utah, so it's important to be counted."
Because this census is online, it's easy for those with computers or smart phones to fill it out. Mallory says you don't even need to gather any special documents before taking it.
"It will vary on the size of your family, but the census can take as few as 5 minutes," she adds.
The census is also available by phone or mail, and in a variety of languages. Just go to census2020.utah.govfor more info.
