Census forms are scheduled to be mailed to every household in the country beginning Thursday, and local officials are "ramping up" an effort to educate the public on the importance of participating.
The Hall County Complete Count Committee points out that Census data is used to, among other things, determine how many members Congress each state has and how local officials approach the construction of such things as roads and schools.
In addition, the federal government distributes more than $675 billion to states and communities based on Census Bureau data. Georgia receives approximately $2,300 for each person counted, which adds up to more than $23 billion annually.
The Census forms take approximately 10 minutes to fill out, and once submitted, the data will not be shared with any other governmental agency, according to the county officials.
Census forms are to be returned by April 1, either by mail, by phone or online. The online option is new this time around.
Beginning in May and continuing into July, a house-to-house canvas will take place as Census workers visit those households whose questionnaires were not returned.
For more about the work of the Hall County Complete Count Committee and the Census itself click here.
