Census

Mark your Calendars! Census Day is April 1, 2020. 

Every ten years the federal government surveys the population of the country to ensure fair Congressional representation by determining how many seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives as well as the redistricting of the state legislature, county and city councils, and voting districts. Accurate census information is critical to planning for future growth, development, and social needs of our community. State and federal funding for social and other programs are made, in part, on census data too. 

Census information is confidential and federal law prohibits any public or private agency from gaining access to this data. 

Additionally, the survey will not include a question about citizenship. 

2010 Census Statistics

In Fiscal Year 2016, Kansas received more than $6 billion in federal funds through certain programs. Programs supported through Census data include Highway Planning and Construction, Section 8 Housing, Special Education grants, Head Start, School Breakfast Program, WIC, Community Development Block Grants, Crime Victim Assistance, Federal Direct Student Loans, Pell Grants, and Community Facilities Loans or Grants. 

The total population of Sedgwick County as of 2017 is 510,484; that is roughly 12,000 more people than listed in the 2010 Census. Wichita's population (as of 2017) totaled 389,054 which is an increase of more than 6,000 people since the 2010 Census. 

The median age in Sedgwick County was 35 years. 

More than 140,000 children were school-age. 

An undercount in Wichita alone means that the community could miss out on more than $52,000 in federal funding over 10 years for each household that is missed in the 2020 Census.