States Spend Big Bucks on Census Preparation

BOSTON — With political clout in Washington, D.C., and billions of dollars in federal funding at stake, Massachusetts and more than a dozen other states are spending unprecedented amounts of money on outreach and preparation for the 2020 census to get the decennial count right.

Collectively, at least 27 states have spent or committed more than $316 million to the effort, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Massachusetts has earmarked at least $6.25 million this fiscal year for census outreach and preparation, the seventh-largest amount among all states.