Census Questions: So, why is the Census so important?
Think of Pell Grants, highway planning and construction, the national school lunch program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), medical assistance programs, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), special education grants, Head Start, foster care programs, crime victim assistance programs, grants for prevention and treatment of substance abuse problems, career and technical education assistance, wildlife restoration, HIV emergency relief grants, adult education, rural water and waste disposal systems, assistance to firefighters, violence against women grants, and fire management assistance grants. Federal funds for all of these (and more!) are distributed based on the once-in-decade Census data. To see the full list of programs whose funding is based on Census data, go to https://2020census.gov/content/dam/2020census/materials/partners/2020-01/Uses-of-Census-Bureau-Data-in-Federal-Funds-Distribution.pdf