Montclair and Bloomfield Join Forces to Ensure All Residents Are Counted in the 2020 Census

Montclair and Bloomfield are joining forces to form a Complete Count Committee to ensure that the 2020 Census brings appropriate funding and resources to our communities. The Committee will focus on those who are at risk for being significantly undercounted, including very young children, low income residents, people living in multigenerational housing, and others. Montclair and Bloomfield both have multiple census tracts that were undercounted in 2010.

The 2020 Census, launching on March 12, is the key tool used by the federal government to determine Congressional representation and funding allocations of more than $675 billion in public services including roads, schools and transportation. Conducted once every 10 years, any population undercounts can impact a community for a full decade.

The Montclair-Bloomfield Complete Count Committee is chaired by Anne Mernin of Toni’s Kitchen in Montclair. The Committee includes representatives from the schools, local government, libraries, local nonprofit organizations and others serving Hard To Count populations. The partnership was formed thanks to the support of Montclair Mayor Robert Jackson and Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia. Grant funding from Partners for Health Foundation is supporting the efforts of the Committee.

Responding to the 2020 Census will be easy, safe and convenient. Responses will be accepted online, by phone, or by mail. All residents should receive an invitation to respond to the 2020 Census by mail in mid-March. Reminders and a paper questionnaire will be sent by mail in April to those who do not respond online or by phone. In late April, the Census will mail a final reminder notice; following this, a Census taker will follow up in person.

All responses are confidential and protected by federal law, and Census data is never shared with any law enforcement agency. To learn more, including how the US Census Bureau protects personal information, visit https://2020census.gov/.

The Census Bureau is also hiring for a wide variety of temporary positions. Starting pay is $20/hr for most positions. For more information, visit https://2020census.gov/en/jobs.html.