For the 2020 Census and transportation, everyone counts
For the 2020 Census and transportation, everyone counts
With 2020 Census upon us, everyone counts when it comes to transportation funding.
As we told you last week, census figures play heavily into how federal funding is apportioned to various states. Each person recorded on the census in Arizona equals nearly $3,000 in federal funding per year toward such things as transportation, community centers, housing and medical services. On the transportation side, federal funding – again, linked to census data – accounts for more than 90 percent of the money that is put into road projects throughout the state. And we're not talking only about state highways here, but county and municipal projects. Census data is also used on the state level for calculating distributions from the Highway User Revenue Fund (HURF).
In fiscal 2019, federal transportation funding added up to nearly $737 million for Arizona. Much of the annual allocation goes toward programs improving the national highway system, addressing congestion mitigation and air quality, and supporting metropolitan planning and surface transportation. Federal transportation programs for local governments and metropolitan planning organizations, such as the Maricopa Association of Governments and Pima Association of Governments, provided nearly $100 million in fiscal 2019.
Population is a leading factor in how the Federal Transit Administration allocates funds for the formula grants ADOT administers for rural areas, going toward capital, planning and operating assistance. It’s also a leading way the federal government allocates formula grants for transit capital, operating assistance and planning in urban areas.
So now that you are all enthused for filling out the census, how do you do it? Well, you can get more information and fill it out online by visiting AZCensus2020.gov. You also can help by following and sharing from @AZCensus2020 on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.