Special Census To 'Make Plainfield Count' Begins

PLAINFIELD, IL — The Special Census to "make Plainfield count" has kicked off.

Village staff estimate Plainfield's population has grown by about 10 percent since the 2020 Census. The new count will result in more state and federal funding for the village.

If Plainfield hits its population projections in the count, the village could see an additional $1 million or more a year in state and federal funding for essential services, Community Relations Director Amy De Boni told Patch. The funding would occur yearly until the 2030 decennial census is certified, likely in 2032.

The data collected will also help spur economic development in Plainfield, Village Administrator Josh Blakemore said.

"Economic development has become largely data driven," he told Patch in a statement. "Whether it is Portillo's or Woodman's, how businesses look at development has become spreadsheet driven. They use Plainfield's data to make sure that we check all the boxes they are searching for in a community. New census data will help illustrate to commercial users where the Village is growing."

Residents should begin receiving letters this week from the United States Census Bureau that contain information on how to complete a Special Census form, which opened online Tuesday.

The online survey will be open for one month. Residents who don't respond by Aug. 22 will be visited by Census Bureau field representatives, who will go door-to-door, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day in September, until all household data is collected, village officials said in a news release.

The Census questionnaire asks basic questions, including how many people are living in a household as of Sept. 1, 2025, and about each resident's race, gender and age. The answers, which officials said are confidential, are solely for producing statistics.