New Castle, DE – County Executive Matt Meyer, federal and local officials and community members kicked off the 2020 Census in New Castle County today at the Route 9 Library and Innovation Center with Delaware’s first Census Job Fair and the launch of New Castle County’s Commit 2B Counted outreach campaign.
“During the 2010 Census nearly 9,000 Delaware residents were not counted and our state lost out on federal funding we need to provide services to our residents and to invest in our communities,” County Executive Matt Meyer said. “This time around we are taking action to make sure all of our people are counted. That starts with hosting job fairs to hire local residents for the Census count and our “Commit 2B Counted” campaign to raise awareness among every resident, especially those from communities that are historically undercounted. We are proud to partner with state and local government leaders and community members who are as committed as we are to making the 2020 Census count for all of our people.”
Census data is used by the federal government to distribute more than $675 billion across the country each year. In Delaware, that translates to more than $2,200 per person in federal funds to the state.
Officials estimate that the 2010 Census undercounted approximately 9,000 Delaware residents, impacting more than $14 million in potential funds lost to the state each year. The Commit 2B Counted campaign will build on county partnerships with the U.S. Census Bureau, the statewide census campaign chaired by Lt. Governor Bethany Hall Long and the City of Wilmington’s census initiative and will leverage relationships with civic and community leaders to make every community member aware of the 2020 Census and the importance of participating in the census count. Commit 2B Counted will focus on segments of the population that are historically undercounted, including:
- Young children from birth to four years of age
- African American and Hispanic residents
- Immigrant and non-English speaking households
- Lower-income residents
- College students
- Homeless residents
“Thank you to New Castle County for being such an enthusiastic partner for the Census,” said Devon Reed, Delaware Partnership Specialist for the U.S. Census Bureau. “We will be hiring 1,000 to 1,500 New Castle County residents to go out into the community, knock on doors, help people understand what the Census is and what it provides to them and help them complete the Census survey next spring. We encourage people to visit our website to learn about available jobs, attend Census Job Fairs and ask us questions so that they can teach their community about how important the Census is.”
New Castle County, in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau, the City of Wilmington and others, is organizing two dozen job fair at local libraries where job applicants can apply on-site for more than a thousand positions that will be offered by the Census Bureau to local residents. Learn more about upcoming Census Job Fairs and get more info about the Commit 2B Counted campaign at www.newcastlede.gov/Census
Watch today’s Census announcement event by clicking HERE
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Contact: Jason Miller, Director of Communications, 302-545-1462