FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — According to the U.S Consitution, every 10 years the federal government counts every single person living in the country.
The results determine not only how many representatives each state gets in Congress, but there’s also a lot of money at stake.
“The demographics determine who gets the money. The more people the more money and we’ve estimated that even just a one-person undercount is going to cost the state about $30,000 over the course of ten years," said Linda DeBerry, Communications Program Manager of Fayetteville.
With the population of Northwest Arkansas growing at an exponential rate, local leaders are encouraging people to participate.
“The city of Springdale counts on federal funding to return services to our residents and some of that funding can go towards roads, law enforcement agencies, fire departments, and school systems, even our healthcare providers," said Ashley Earhart, Director of Public Relations for Springdale.
Starting this week, residents will get a letter in the mail with an ID number. Go online to this website, plug in that number, fill out the census form and you’re done.
“Just a simple response, it takes less than 10 minutes, and the only thing they are primarily interested in is your address, your name and how many people live in the household," said Fort Smith Mayor George McGill.
City leaders say the information is safe, secure and will have a big impact on the next ten years.
The census form is available in 12 different languages.
You can do it online, over the telephone or fill out a paper form and mail it.
The results from the 2020 census will be out next year.