Census decides reps and money

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Filling out the census and sending it back may seem like a small task but it could have some big effects on you.

It has a direct impact on every single person in Indiana as it determines how you are represented in Congress.

Indiana has nine Congressmen but that number could change based on how many people are living in the State.

The census also determines federal funding for Indiana over the next ten years.

The government provides more than 400 billion dollars a year to federal programs around the country, giving money to each program based on how many people are in it.

That effects everyone, all the way down to the local level, to your public schools, hospitals, law enforcement, or roads. It will impact anything that takes federal dollars.