Still time to fill out Census

PORTLAND, Ore. — Officials want Washington residents to know there is still time to respond to the U.S. Census — especially residents in Eastern Washington.

The count conducted every 10 years is important in that it determines congressional representation, helps with awarding billions of federal dollars to communities each year and provides information that will impact communities for years to come.

The Census helps determine how many seats in the House of Representatives each state receives. It also affects funding decisions for programs such as Medicare, Head Start, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and community development block grant funding needed for with everything from infrastructure work to non-profit assistance.

According to information from the U.S. Census 2020 organization, all residents in the 50 states and five U.S. territories are required by law to fill out the census form.