Every 10 years, an envelope comes in the mail with six words on it: Your response is required by law. It’s time to collect the census.

While it is considered mandatory, only about 66 percent of Cary citizens have responded since those envelopes came in the mail in mid-March. Apex and Morrisville have reached almost 64 percent and 54 percent respectively.

The Town of Cary’s goal is to reach 82 percent, says Perry Price, the director of education and government relations for the Cary Chamber of Commerce.

The census consists of seven questions, including the number, ages and genders of the people in your home as of April 1, 2020, and should take less than 10 minutes to complete. The questionnaire can be answered online, by phone or by mail.

“Everyone benefits from taking the census and each community being accurately counted,” Price said.

The data dictates how roughly $675 billion of federal funding is allocated across the country, impacting housing, education, transportation, employment, healthcare and public policy, says Price. With the basic information collected, leaders are able to dictate where needs are and how to fix them.

These numbers help decide where healthcare centers are built and how much funding is needed for Medicare and Medicaid, which Price says, in the wake of the pandemic, is a strong example of why we should all complete the census.