This fun, animated video builds on simple concepts like counting and school attendance roll calls to explain the 2020 Census and its importance.

The 2020 Census will provide a snapshot of our nation—our population, where we live, and so much more.

The results are critically important because this once-a-decade census data helps businesses, researchers, and communities make decisions. The data can help inform where your community needs a new fire department, more funding for school lunches, or new roads.

There are many ways the 2020 Census can shape your community. The results, collected once a decade, help determine how billions of dollars in federal funding flow into states and communities each year.

By April 1, 2020, every home will receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census. Once the invitation arrives, you should respond for your home in one of three ways: online, by phone, or by mail.

To ensure a complete and accurate count, the Census Bureau counts people at their usual residence, which is the place where they live and sleep most of the time, with a few exceptions. People who do not have a usual residence should be counted where they are on Census Day (April 1, 2020).