Census-driven Federal Funding
More than $2.8T in federal funding, including $700B in pandemic recovery funds, was distributed in FY21 based on Census data.
Census-driven federal funding by agency
Fiscal Year 2021 Total: $2.85 Trillion
Source: Census Bureau. Notes: “Covid Funding” consists of programs from multiple departments and agencies that have non-renewable funding. Some program names are shortened using their acronyms including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA).
The numbers produced from the 2020 Census not only determine political representation in Congress, state legislatures, and local government, they are also used to distribute federal funding to local communities for the entire decade. A recent report from the Census Bureau found that in Fiscal Year 2021, 353 federal assistance programs used Census Bureau data to distribute more than $2.8 trillion in funds — including over $700 billion to respond to the pandemic.
These funds flow into communities from a multitude of federal programs, including ones for health, education, housing, and infrastructure. Although a portion ($700 billion) of this funding is for Covid-related programs, the remaining $2.1 trillion total is a marked increase from the $1.5 trillion that was estimated for Fiscal Year 2017 – demonstrating the key importance for communities to have accurate census data.1 The Census Bureau has already started to improve the annual Population Estimates which are used directly and indirectly to distribute funding, and plans to do more next year.2 Full participation in census surveys, including the decennial census and the American Community Survey remains crucial.
“Counting for Dollars 2020” The Role of the Decennial Census in the Geographic Distribution of Federal Funds”. Reamer. GW Institute of Public Policy. April, 2020. https://gwipp.gwu.edu/counting-dollars-2020-role-decennial-census-geographic-distribution-federal-funds
“COVID-19 Pandemic Leads to Innovative Census Bureau Methods of Estimating U.S. Population”. Hartley, Rogers, and Doren. U.S. Census Bureau. June, 2023. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/06/blended-base-methodology.html
