THIS IS AN ARCHIVED NEWS STORY FROM 2020 AND THE CONTENTS OF THIS ARTICLE MAY NO LONGER APPLY. FOR THE LATEST COMMUNITY NEWS CLICK HERE.
Once every decade, the federal government conducts a census of the entire population to count everyone in the United States and record basic information about them. Our nation’s founders believed these data were so important that they mandated the decennial census in the Constitution.
The census provides critical data that lawmakers, business owners, teachers, and many others use to provide daily services, products, and support for you and our Newcastle community. Every year, billions of dollars in federal funding go to hospitals, fire departments, schools, roads, and other resources based on census data. The results of the census also determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives, and they are used to draw congressional and state legislative districts.
In 2020, for the first time ever, the U.S. Census Bureau will accept responses online and by phone, but you can still respond by mail if you prefer. Strict federal law protects your census responses. It is against the law for any Census Bureau employee to disclose or publish any census information that identifies an individual or business.
The Census Bureau will never ask for your Social Security number, bank or credit card account numbers, money or donations, or anything on behalf of a political party. The Census Bureau has a robust cybersecurity program that incorporates industry best practices and federal security standards for encrypting data. To make sure you and your community are counted, learn more about the 2020 Census by visiting 2020census.gov.
Newcastle residents: Does your Census form list your address as the City of Renton?
The address on your census form or advance letter may not list the city name or ZIP code you identify with or are used to seeing on your mail. This is a result of a cost-saving measure that streamlines how the forms are sorted and delivered to you by the U.S. Postal Service. It will NOT affect which city, town or block your household’s responses will be assigned to when we tabulate census results.
For any questions about the 2020 Census, please contact Newcastle’s Senior Planner Dave Van De Weghe at [email protected].