Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz today announced that she will be holding a 2020 Connecticut Census Week of Action beginning Monday, June 22 to further engage with hard-to-count communities and encourage households to complete the decennial count.

Throughout the week, Lt. Governor Bysiewicz will hold events across the state, targeting hard-to-count populations and will distribute Census materials to households, small businesses and neighborhoods in an effort to achieve a greater response rate.

Connecticut’s response rate – just under 65 percent – exceeds the national average. Nationally, 61.6 percent of households have responded to the 2020 U.S. Census since invitations began arriving in mailboxes in mid-March, according to the 2020 U.S. Census website.

“Cities and communities of color have long been among the hardest to count populations for the U.S. Census. Not being counted is where disinvestment starts. Throughout the 2020 Connecticut Census Week of Action, I will be targeting households in these communities to encourage them to complete the Census. A low response rate means less federal aid and less political representation,” said Lt. Governor Bysiewicz.

Nationwide, the 2010 U.S. Census undercounted the African-American population by more than 800,000. Historically, African-American men have been undercounted in greater numbers than men of other racial or ethnic groups. Today, more than one in three African Americans live in hard-to-count census tracts.

Latino children are also among the most undercounted populations in the U.S. More than 56.5 million Latinos live in the U.S., and roughly one in three live in hard-to-count census tracts.

While the U.S. Census Bureau cannot share personally identifiable information with any other government agency, court of law or administrative proceeding, or private entity for any purpose, new arrivals and language barriers are all factors that have also contributed to an undercount among immigrant communities.

Responses from the 2020 U.S. Census helps to determine nearly $11 billion in federal funding allocations to Connecticut for programs such as Medicaid, SNAP, school nutrition programs, disaster relief, community block grants, transportation and highway projects, energy assistance for seniors, and many other programs that families across our state rely on every day.

The outcome of the 2020 Census could have vast ramifications on Connecticut. The State of Connecticut could lose approximately $2,900— or $29,000 over a 10-year period— for every person who is undercounted.

Children under the age of 5 are most often missed in the decennial count. For every child undercounted, the state will lose funding for health insurance, hospital programs, childcare and early childhood development.

To date, Connecticut has formed 156 Complete Count Committees in an effort to ensure the State is the best counted state in the nation.

The 2020 Census is open for self-response online at 2020Census.gov, over the phone by calling the number provided in your invitation, and by paper through the mail.

The U.S. Census Bureau is also providing the Internet Self-Response Instrument and Census Questionnaire Assistance in 12 non-English languages; enumerator instrument, bilingual paper questionnaire, bilingual mailing, and field enumeration materials in Spanish; and language guides, language glossaries, and language identification card in 59 non-English languages.

Residents who do not have their unique 12-digit number can still complete the census online or by phone at 2020Census.gov.