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The City of Portland, Oregon

Community & Civic Life

Promote the common good

Main: 503-823-4519

City/County Info: 503-823-4000

TDD: 503-823-6868

1221 SW 4th Ave, Suite 110, Portland, OR 97204

Why is the Census important?

Why is the Census important?

The census is our most comprehensive, coordinated effort as a country to collect information that helps us understand who lives here and how our communities are shifting. It helps us understand who we are, where we live, and how we are changing over time.

Census data also determines funding and electoral representation decisions such as the following:

Representation: The census determines how many representatives each state gets in Congress. Census data are also used to redraw district boundaries that impact state and local representation. Oregon is likely to gain another member in the U.S. House of Representatives contingent on results from the 2020 Census.

Funding: The federal government distributes more than $675 billion every year to states and communities based on Census Bureau data. Oregon’s current portion of annual federal funding based on the 2010 census is around $13.5 billion  

Other Resources: Local governments, communities, and businesses use census data to make decisions regarding emergency preparedness, schools, roads, hospitals, and other important resources and policy decisions.