Rep. Connie Cierpiot, R-Independence, agreed. For instance, in her district, if the line had been drawn just a bit further north, the Republican seat may have been lost, she said. Cierpiot said most redistricting does make for difficulties in representation. Her district includes parts of four school districts. Organizations benefiting from the count include cities with money for roads, bridges and other services, schools determining where to build a new building and health services planning for the number of people who need aid.
Businesses also use the numbers for marketing.
For example, if there's an aging population in a certain area, then building a children's store would not be good business, Beaver said. Nearly 300,000 people will be needed across the country to count everyone. In Jackson County, about 180 people, plus 20 office workers, were employed to verify addresses in rural areas and canvas city areas. These jobs had census workers verifying the addresses for people before the millions of questionnaires are sent out. The badges, which should be displayed prominently, contain the worker's name and the seal of the U.S. Department of Commerce-Bureau of the Census.