We frequently hear how important it is we participate in the Census, but many of us do not know why? What could answering 5-10 questions possibly do for me? What could my answers inform? Well, when it comes down to it, our answers significantly impact our communities whether it is through funding allocation or disaster relief.

Funding allocation is one of the most significant outcomes of Census results, not only from the federal government, but also how state and local communities make funding decisions and ensure programs are serving the intended populations. An example of this comes from King County, Wash., where there is a crisis of housing affordability, especially for low-income senior citizens, the disabled, and disabled veterans.

To combat this challenge, the state provides a property tax exemption for homeowners over the age of 61 who are on fixed or low incomes. However, John Wilson, the county assessor notes that they thought enrollment in the program was low, but they did not have the numbers to support their suspicion. As a result, Wilson turned to the 2017 Census American Community Survey (ACS) to identify how many potential applicants were in King County and where they might be located.

Even though the Census removes identifying information, the ACS survey that Wilson used shows the population and housing characteristics of the people in the county. After sifting through the 2017 Census data, Wilson found there were 40,000 households eligible for tax exemption; however, only 15,000 were actually enrolled. This finding supported the theory there was a low enrollment.