As the effort to count every resident in the United States begins, the Urban Institute provides data on rural populations living in hard-to-count areas and steps for achieving a more accurate count. Population counts from the U.S. Census are used to allocate federal funding, provide data for research and policy-making, and plan economic development, among countless other needs for quality of life. In addition to traditional challenges to counting in rural areas – remote homes, migrant workers, literacy – the 2020 Census will add a digital response option and many rural areas have low rates of internet access at home. More information is available by clicking here.
