Under Article I, Section 2 of the United States Constitution, the U.S. Census Bureau attempts to count every person in the United States every 10 years. The first U.S. Census was held in 1790 under then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, and the next will be held April 1, 2020. 

The 2020 Census will be the first to rely heavily on online responses, and counting everyone is vitally important to the Santa Cruz County community. The Census guides more than $675 billion in annual funding, and each person counted is estimated at nearly $2,000 annually in federal funding to support local services. Responding to the Census helps create jobs, provide housing, prepare for emergencies, build schools, roads and hospitals, and much more. 

The Santa Cruz County Complete Count Committee is dedicated to making sure the 2020 Census counts every local resident, regardless of age, gender, health condition, income, housing status, immigration status or any other factor. In the Census, everyone counts equally. 

In California, more residents are considered traditionally hard-to-count. Those include foreign-born residents, renters, individuals living in homes without Internet access, people living close to or below the poverty line, and young children. Others are concerned about disclosing their responses to the government. Led by our partner the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, the Complete Count Committee is focused on encouraging participation throughout the county. Under federal law, all information collected is strictly confidential.