Special Census In Aurora Begins In February

AURORA, IL — The City of Aurora will undergo a special census beginning Feb. 3 to get a more accurate population count than in 2020, officials said.

The count, happening through March 7, is "critical to restoring key funding," which helps pay for road maintenance, street salt, public safety personnel and special events, among other things, city officials said.

The 2020 Census found that Aurora's population decreased by about 17,000 people, leading to a loss of $4.3 million per year in revenue, which "greatly [affected] day-to-day operations and services provided." Officials said the loss "is through no fault of the City and cannot be recovered."

If the city waits until the 2030 Census to recount the population, revenue loss would total $43 million, according to the city's website.

"In 2020, a perfect storm of circumstances, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the debate over inclusion of the citizenship question, and new, untested technology designed to count the population, all contributed to Aurora’s undercount," city officials said.

Residents can expect to receive two letters and two postcards in the mail regarding the census. The first two letters are scheduled to be sent on Feb. 4 and Feb. 10, and two postcards will be sent out on Feb. 18 and Feb. 27. Each will contain a unique 12-digit code to complete the census online at https://portal.census.gov/specialcensus.

Once the ISR period ends, Census staff will begin going door-to-door to collect information from addresses that didn't respond.

In the frequently asked questions section of the city's website dedicated to the process, officials said everyone should complete the census, whether they're American citizens or not because no questions will be asked regarding citizenship status. All responses are anonymous.