The U.S. Constitution mandates that the country count its population once every 10 years. The results are used to adjust or redraw electoral districts, based on where populations have increased or decreased.
State legislatures or independent bipartisan commissions are responsible for redrawing congressional districts.
2020 Census Delays and the Impact on Redistricting ~ from National Conference of State Legislatures
The Economic Census helps private business and state governments alike make decisions that impact new business, expansion, and taxes.
Example: A restauranteur in Albuquerque, New Mexico considered adding a drive-through window to each of his five restaurants but was not sure that his sales would increase enough to warrant the required investment[.] Using the Products Line data from the Economic Census for Limited Service Restaurants (NAICS 722513), he was able to determine that similar businesses in New Mexico typically saw around 29.3% ($406.4 Million) of their sales of food and 10.4% ($144.2 Million) of their sales of nonalcoholic beverages from their drive-through receipts.
The results of the 2020 Census will inform decisions about allocating hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding to communities across the country—for hospitals, fire departments, school lunch programs, and other critical programs and services.
For more information, check of the
America Counts: Stories Behind the Numbers - Find stories on various topics such as families, housing, employment, business, education, the economy, emergency preparedness, and population.
Example: In recent years, Black educational attainment has been much closer to the national average and today, 88% of Blacks or African Americans have a high school diploma, just shy of the national average, according to census data released last month from the Current Population Survey.
