Resources

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What is the Census and why is it important to you?

The decennial census was first taken in 1790, as mandated by the Constitution. It counts our population and households, providing the basis for reapportioning congressional seats, redistricting, and distributing more than $675 billion in federal funds annually to support states, counties and communities.

The census counts everyone, regardless of citizenship.

Everyone counts. The census counts every person living in the United States once. Anyone who lives in DeLand more than six months a year must be counted in DeLand; this applies to college students, snowbirds and other part-time residents.

Your information is confidential. Federal law protects your census responses and your answers can only be used to produce statistics. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share your information with immigration enforcement agencies or law enforcement agencies.

Redistricting / Fair Representation. After each census, state officials use the results to redraw the boundaries of their congressional and state legislative districts, adapting to population shifts and is used to reapportion the House of Representatives, determining how many seats each state gets. In 2010, Florida picked up two new house seats!

‍Community Benefits. Federal funds affect vital programs and our community use census data in all kinds of ways, such as these:

• Residents use the census to support community initiatives involving legislation, quality-of-life and consumer advocacy.
• Businesses use Census Bureau data to decide where to build factories, offices and stores, and these create jobs.
• Local government officials use the census to ensure public safety and plan new schools and hospitals.
• Real estate developers and city planners use the census to plan new homes and improve neighborhoods.
• Vital Programs - Medicare, Cooperative Extension Service, Special Education, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance, Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment, Water and Waste Disposal Systems, Clinics, Children's Health Insurance, Health Care Assistance, Preventative Health Services, Housing, Infrastructure, Public Transportation, Vital Statistics, After-school Activities, School Meals, Head Start, Public Schools, Emergency Services (for example, hurricane/tornado relief), and much more.

Volusia County’s Complete Count Committee launched a public awareness campaign to educate residents about the importance of completing their census questionnaires and to increase Volusia County’s response rate. If you would like to serve on Volusia County's Complete Count Committee, contact one of the co-chairs or staff liaisons Brian Rothwell at 386-736-5920, ext. 12717; or Pat Kuehn at 386-822-5062, ext. 12934.

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