TERESA HOFFMAN

Policy Communications Associate, Center for Rural Affairs

By now, you have most likely received a postcard or letter in your mailbox inviting you to participate in the 2020 Census.

Set forth as an effort to count everyone in the U.S., the data collected as part of the census impacts everyone who is, or is not, counted.

Before your mailer filters to the bottom of your to-do stack, take a moment to recognize why completing the census is so important, especially for residents of rural communities and states.

At its most basic level, data collected through the census ensures equa...