John Knisley

NEW ULM — The 2020 Census will count more for Minnesota than in the past. It will affect the state’s representation in Congress, and the amount of federal funds the state is entitled to receive.

The New Ulm Chamber hosted a Hot Topic Lunch at the New Ulm Country Club to discuss the census and what it means for New Ulm.

New Ulm City Planner John Knisley gave an overview of the 2020 Census. The United States conducts a census every 10 years. Knisley said the first census was conducted in 1790 when the country’s population was 3.9 million. During the U.S. 2010 Census, the population was 330 million people.

“This year, the census will be taken in a much different way than has ever done in the past,” Knisley said.

This year citizens will be sent a postcard requesting the census be taken online. Two postcards will be sent asking households to take the online census survey. Knisley said if the survey is not filled out online after two postcards, a paper census form will be mailed.

Knisley said there has already been feedback from citizens concerned about sending in an online survey. The paper version is the alternative option, but public facilities can help with the online survey. Library staff is trained to show people how to fill out the 2020 Census.

The survey can also be conducted over the phone. The submitted postcards will have a number to call for people who prefer answering questions over the phone.

The purpose of the census is to gather data for government use. Population information is typically used to determine how much funding a community will receive from the federal government.

Knisley said according to the 2010 Census, over 19,000 people are living in School District 88. This number is tied to organization funding for education. The Census is also used for funding emergency services and roads. In Minnesota, the greatest concern is how the congressional districts are divided.

“Currently we have eight districts and we are at pretty serious risk of losing one district,” Knisley said. If Minnesota loses a district, the state districts would need to be redrawn, meaning the southern Minnesota district would expand to the northwest.

“Losing another Representative out in Washington is extremely alarming,” New Ulm Chamber President Michael Looft said. “It’s a big deal. When we are fighting in Washington to get things like Highway 14 expanded and built, if you don’t have enough pull, it doesn’t happen.”

The 2020 Census will be limited to nine questions and pertain to who is living in a household. The questions are the same as the 2010 census. The 2020 Census will not ask questions about immigration. A citizenship-status question was considered for the census but was not included.

Knisley said legally the census cannot be used for enforcing immigration rules.

The information collected is related to how many people live home at the time the census is filled out. Knisley said if grandma and grandpa are preparing to move to a nursing home, but still live in your home they still count.

College kids living in the dormitory would not be counted in their parents’ census, but the college will county them for communal housing.

Martin Luther College will be counted as living in New Ulm. The college’s census information will be filled out by staff in charge of student housing.

The first census postcards have already been mailed out. Census Day is Wednesday, April 1, 2020, but the Census Bureau will follow up with individuals through August. Census workers will attempt to locate people who fail to fill out the survey.

Knisley said this will include phone calls or even a census worker coming to door-to-door.

“There are pretty persistent,” he said.

New Ulm typically has high census participation. Knisley said New Ulm had 87% participation in 2000 and 89% participation in 2010. This places New Ulm in the top three participating communities in Minnesota.

“People here feel fairly comfortable filling out the census,” Knisley said. The greatest hold up appears to be the online component.