Sarah Hart, Treasurer
For the 2020 Census, the U.S. Census Bureau will continue to count students in the town they live in for college, despite many going home due to COVID-19.
Federal agencies use the decennial Census to dictate over $675 billion in federal funding every year. College towns, like Mansfield, rely on the Census data to receive the appropriate amount of resources to support grants, education, health services, agriculture, and other important sectors. Since the census takes place every ten years, it is paramount that every person is counted.
Whether a freshman living on campus, a senior living off-campus, or a junior commuting from five minutes away, all students will be counted in the town they reside in for at least half of the year. Since classes are in session for more than seven months per year, students are counted where they live for school.
Students who live on-campus will not have to fill out the Census by themselves. An administrator of the university will count the number of students per residence hall and give the information to the Census. Students living off-campus, however, will have to fill out the census and include their roommates. Only one census is needed per household, and individuals may fill out the census online, by mail, or by phone. For more information, please visit www.2020census.gov.
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