Today I am visiting Harris County, Texas, one of two sites now taking part in the 2016 Census Test that will help us prepare for the decennial census in 2020. The census is the most important barometer of population change in America – an issue that’s increasingly important here in the Houston area. Yesterday, the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program announced that the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land gained 159,000 new residents last year, the largest gain of any metro area in the nation.

This is a time of transition and growth for the Houston area. Census data is the way that America measures population growth and change. Local areas rely on our statistics for planning where to build new schools and roads.  Businesses use our data to track economic and demographic trends – for example, the Greater Houston Partnership uses Census Bureau statistics to provide information to companies and attract new jobs to the area. And each year, the federal government distributes more than $400 billion to states and communities based on Census Bureau data. The 2020 Census will provide critical information that empowers the more than 4.5 million people and over 95,000 businesses with paid employees in communities across Harris County and across the country.

Director Thompson talks with Khalilat Adesokan, Tonya Netters and Fred Darden of Goodwill Industries of Houston, a 2016 Census Test partner and a trusted voice in the community.

The 2016 Census Test is part of the extensive research and testing that will help us make key decisions about how the next census will be carried out. The 2020 Census will be the most automated and technologically advanced census ever. Americans will be able to answer the questionnaire from anywhere – by mail, phone, or online using a laptop, tablet or smartphone.

The test currently underway in Texas and California is a large-scale implementation of innovations that will make the 2020 Census easier than ever to respond to, while saving taxpayers more than $5 billion compared to doing the census the old way. We’re now more than halfway to the 2020 Census, and we’re doing everything we can – planning, researching, testing, and getting feedback – to ensure that responding to it is easy and secure. Based on the results of the 2016 Census Test, we’ll refine many of the innovative and cost-saving procedures and methods in our plan.

Thank you to the residents of Harris County for your participation in this critical census test. I’m also grateful for the support of local officials and our partners – especially from schools, which have been crucial in raising awareness about the test and its importance to students and their families.

The 2016 Census Test is critical to ensuring a complete and accurate census in 2020, one that will give America the data it needs to make good policies and decisions for its growing population. You can track the results of the 2016 Census Test and other developments in our planning for the 2020 Census – and give us your input – at Census.gov.