City Administrator Julia Glanz and the Wicomico County Complete Count Committee are urging City of Salisbury and Wicomico County residents to complete the 2020 U.S. Census before the upcoming deadline of September 30th. Wicomico County loses out on $1,825 a year in funding, $18,250 over the ten-year period between Census counts, for every person in our community that is not counted.
The U.S. Census is the constitutionally mandated count of every person living in the United States, which occurs every ten years. The Census controls the funding our community receives for important services such as local hospitals, schools, parks and playgrounds, WIC programs, Medicaid, police, and fire departments, as well as local infrastructures like highways and roads. Census counts can also help determine which businesses come to our area based on population and demographics, bringing with them jobs and opportunities for our community as well.
Historically, minority and non-english speaking populations are severely undercounted when it comes to the Census. This holds true in Salisbury and Wicomico County. Many members of these populations also utilize important public programs such as SNAP and WIC, which receive their funding based on Census counts. If our region is undercounted, we do not receive the proper amount of funding for these programs, leaving a lot of people with few options.
It is important that when enumerators, official Census workers, knock on your door that you answer and help them complete a census count for your home. This usually takes under ten minutes and is nothing to be wary of.
It is equally important that students living in off-campus housing in and around Salisbury respond to the Census. While universities do report students living on-campus, students living off-campus are required to respond to the Census themselves with information about their household. If a student lives at home with parents, they will be counted in their parent’s household Census count.
Administrator Glanz has been helping to lead 2020 Census efforts in Wicomico County since the formation of Wicomico County’s Complete Count Committee last fall. “It is absolutely imperative that everyone in our community prioritizes filling out the 2020 Census and getting a complete count for the City of Salisbury and Wicomico County. We get a shot at getting appropriate funding for our communities every 10 years with an accurate count. Let’s not wait until 2030 to bring home what is ours,” she shared.
Filling out the Census is a quick and easy process, most of the time taking under ten minutes to complete. Citizens can complete the Census by visiting www.my2020census.gov
