Robert McKay, left, shows a census data sheet to City of Long Beach Unit Treasurer Sean O’Neill, center, and Tommy Canner, right.
LONG BEACH — CSEA City of Long Beach Unit members came together at a recent membership meeting to learn more about the 2020 U.S. Census.
The census is required under the U.S. Constitution and counts our country’s population every 10 years. The information collected will determine how much federal funding will be distributed to communities and states, including money that helps fund many of the public services we provide and rely upon. The results will also determine how many representatives each state will receive in the House of Representatives.
It is crucial that we get an accurate count of our population, as the 2010 Census only counted 69 percent of New York State’s residents. Over the past 10 years, our state has lost about $2,000 per person not counted — every year.
Census postcards will arrive at most homes in March. This is the first year that you will have an option to respond to the census online, though the U.S. Census Bureau will also take responses by mail or in person. Your responses are confidential.
The Census is also hiring hundreds of thousands of people to help collect responses and other census work in our own communities.
To learn more about the U.S. Census, including available jobs, visit census.gov.
— Wendi Bowie
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- “The U.S. Census is incredibly important. Proving the density of Long Island’s population will increase our chances of receiving the funding we need for our infrastructure, education and public health programs.” — CSEA City of Long Beach Unit Recording Secretary Maureen Fox
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- CSEA Political Action Coordinator Sue Castle and City of Long Beach Unit member Danella Farr show off the census magnets they will be putting on their cars that will remind people to respond to the census.
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- “Every CSEA member has to make it their personal responsibility to fill out the census form. Without federal funding, municipalities may not receive the necessary monies to fund civil service jobs.” — CSEA City of Long Beach Unit member Jarvon Jackson
