NC Counts Coalition and Carolina Demography Create Interactive map to Identify Hard-to-Count communities in Preparation for the 2020 Census
Raleigh, NC (March 28, 2019) – On April 1, 2019 – one year out from Census day 2020 - NC Counts Coalition and Carolina Demography will launch a new North Carolina specific interactive map that will help North Carolina identify hard-to-count communities in preparation for the 2020 Census. Hard-to-count communities are populations that historically have not been fully counted and represented in the Census count. North Carolina’s hard-to-count communities include young children, communities of color, immigrants and renters.
“This tool will help stakeholders better target outreach efforts for Census mobilization to activate Census participation,” stated Stacey Carless, Executive Director of the NC Counts Coalition. “We are really excited to partner with Carolina Demography in rolling this tool out to our communities as we work together to provide North Carolina with data, tools and resources to support 2020 Census preparation initiatives across the state.”
Census data is used for allocation of $800 billion a year from large Census guided federal programs. North Carolina receives about $16.3 billion dollars annually in federal funding. This funding supports statewide initiatives including transportation projects, housing, commercial development, education, healthcare, and other community needs.
Also, the Census ensures that communities are appropriately represented in the statehouse and in Congress. North Carolina is one of the fastest growing states in the nation. With the state’s exponential growth, a complete and accurate Census count will ensure that North Carolina gains a seat in the United States House of Representatives. The data could also impact the number of votes in the electoral college during presidential elections.
The NC Counts Coalition was established in 2017 to prepare North Carolina for the 2020 Census. The Coalition serves as a hub to facilitate cross-sector coordination among government, planning and community organizations, service providers, businesses and others to achieve a complete and accurate Census count for North Carolina. For more information go to our website at www.nccensus.org