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The deadline for participating in the 2020 Census is September 30.

So with only 27 days left to be counted, now is the time to stop procrastinating and complete the census, which is available by mail and for the first time also online and by phone.

Census officials say it takes less than 10 minutes to fill out the census whether you do it by mail, phone or online.

To get the process started, visit 2020census.gov

"We want a 70 percent participation rate," said Armon E. Lowery, partnership specialist with the U.S. Department of Commerce and Census Bureau ..

To date, the participation rate in Wayne County is 64.2 percent.

Lowery said the census determines federal funding for the next 10 years. Lawmakers, business owners and many others will use 2020 Census data to make critical decisions. The results will show where communities need new schools, new clinics, new roads, and more services for families, older adults and children.

Lowery said the results also will inform how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding are allocated to more than 100 programs, including Medicaid, Head Start, block grants for community mental health services and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The results of the census also determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives and are used to draw congressional and state legislative districts.

Lowery encourages people to complete the census to ensure "our community gets the funding it deserves."

The 2020 Census marks the 24th time that the country has counted its population since 1790. Lowery said the 2020 Census has reached 90 million households in the U.S., which he said it's a milestone.