U.S. Census Deadline Moved Up; Here's How, When To Respond

NEW YORK — With the Supreme Court's decision to allow the President Donald Trump's administration to cut short the Census process, New Yorkers who have not responded to the decennial count only have until 6 a.m. Friday to be counted.

Why should we bother to fill out the Census? Besides being required by law to do so?

According to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, it happens only once every 10 years and it's one of the most important ways New Yorkers can make sure the state gets representation in and funding from Washington, D.C.

"This process profoundly affects our state's future, and I strongly urge every New Yorker to participate and do it now," he said in a prepared statement.

There are four ways to respond to the 2020 Census. You can answer the questionnaire online or by calling 1-844-330-2020. Additional phone numbers for different languages can be found by clicking here. You can also mail in the form you should have received in March.

It takes about 10 minutes to fill out the form online, according to the U.S. Census.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court stopped the head count of every resident in the country from continuing through the end of October.

The Trump administration asked the highest court in the land to suspend a lower court's order that permitted the count to continue.

The argument by the administration was that it needed time to compile all the data before a congressionally mandated year-end deadline. Among other things, the numbers are used to determine how many congressional seats each state gets.

Likely the most pertinent question the Census asks is, "How many people were living or staying in this house, apartment or mobile home on April 1, 2020?" This includes roommates and friends, even if they are staying with you temporarily. The Census does not ask for citizenship information.