Montana receives more than $2 billion in federal funding every year based on Census data for things like health care, highways, schools and community planning. The Census also shapes local voting and school districts. The count is conducted every 10 years by the federal government, with states supporting the effort to inform residents about the importance of being counted. The Census and Economic Information Center within the Montana Department of Commerce is Montana’s designated agency for Census outreach, analyzing and disseminating the data, and providing training on Census programs and products.
The Census count was scheduled to begin in April 2020, but disruptions caused in part by the COVID-19 global pandemic created additional challenges for getting an accurate count of Montanans. Despite these challenges, Montana’s self-response rate to the Census was 60.4 percent.
Once final data is provided to the state by the U.S. Census Bureau, the independent Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission will use 2020 Census information to redraw the boundaries of congressional and legislative districts. This data will also be used to determine federal funding allocations for more than 300 federally funded programs and determine whether Montana will regain its second congressional seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Keep track of updates from the U.S. Census Bureau here.
The rollout of 2020 Census data has been delayed due to Covid-19 impacts on data collection and the implementation of new measures to ensure privacy.
The following timeline is subject to change.
The following table is from the United States Census 2020 Response Rates site. The total housing units enumerated includes those that self-responded and those that required a nonresponse follow up by a census taker.
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