The 2020 Census and NC Education Funding

The Decennial Census is the baseline/control for all other federal surveys, population estimates, and projections for the next decade. Getting the number wrong means that all numbers generated for the next ten years will also be wrong. This means that every year for the next decade, North Carolina could have insufficient funding to serve the needs of our state’s population. More than $2.3 billion in annual education and related funding to NC is linked to the decennial census. The largest share of federal funding directly allocated to North Carolina is for K-12 education ($807M) and early childhood ($548M). Another $176 million is allocated for career and technical education and adult education. While not directly allocated to the state, an estimated $850 million in Pell Grants will be used by individuals at NC colleges and universities in FY2019.