St. Lawrence County’s Complete Count Committee says participation in the 2020 Census is critical to getting adequate state and federal funding for St. Lawrence County and its local municipal governments.

The committee is reminding residents that the last day to participate in the Census is Wednesday, September 30. As of August 27, there are nine towns in the county with participation rates of less than 40%. The goal is to increase participation rates across the county and move all towns to green, the committee said.

Participation in the Census helps determine where and how much federal and state funding is allocated to important services and programs, including: highway and bridge repair, fire and emergency protection, education, and health care.

Every person who is counted in the Census yields more than $2,000 in federal and state funding for programs such as these. Undercounting in the Census leads to underfunding for your local community, the committee said.

Participating in the Census also leads to better political representation. An accurate count of a community’s population influences how congressional, state and local district boundaries are redrawn to ensure equal representation at all levels of government.

To complete the Census, visit: https://2020census.gov/ or call 1 (844) 330-2020. Completing the Census is easy, and it’s confidential. For more information, contact the County Planning Office at (315) 379-2292.