Even a huge increase in food assistance benefits and summer pandemic relief payments may not stave off hunger for millions of Americans

The new census data, planned for release on Aug. 12, will show definitively how the ethnic, racial and voting-age makeup of neighborhoods shifted over the past decade, based on the national house-to-house canvass last year. It is the data most state legislatures and local governments use to redraw political districts for the next 10 years.

Arizona was the first state to adopt a redistricting commission model that was independent of the legislative branch. Arizona’s IRC begins January 14 to draw new lines according to the data recorded in the 2020 U.S. Census.

As of August 4, the response rate of the census stood at only 62.9 percent; the response rate in Arizona is significantly lower, at 59.7 percent. That means that unless the deadline for the census is extended, Arizona stands to lose millions of dollars in federal funding every year until the 2030 census is complete. Download the Arizona fact sheet.

About 58% of Arizona households had responded to the census as of July 2, compared to nearly 62% of the country, and that rate is even higher in some areas, reaching 71% in Minnesota.