By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Around one out of three Hutchinson residents has not completed their 2020 census.
"As a city, we're at about 66, 67% of completion," said Ryan Hvitlok with the Complete Count Committee. "We're actually doing about what we would have expected back in 2010. Our final count for the City of Hutchinson in 2010 was about 72.5%."
Getting everyone counted makes sure that the city is correctly represented both in people and in dollars.
"It's important for a wide variety of reasons," Hvitlok said. "Everything from how we reapportion our Congressional seats all the way down to how City Council districts are drawn. Financially, it's very important for the city and for the community as well. Every missed household, we can expect to miss out on about $40,000 over 10 years."
If you've moved recently, your Census address may not be the same as your current address.
"It's where you were at on April 1," Hvitlok said. "We've probably had some people that have moved in the meantime. Really, to meet both the spirit and the letter of the federal law, it is where you were at on April 1."
To fill out your Census form online, just go to 2020census.gov.