The Census Bureau in Tyler opens on Thursday, Oct. 10 to act as a resource to the community ahead of the official count in April, 2020. 

Census workers say residents can drop by the office Monday through Friday if they have questions or want to work for the bureau. 

The group is looking to hire over 1,000 East Texans to help with canvassing and education. 

Census counts happen once every decade to get a fairly accurate population size for cities throughout the nation. 

The numbers can affect the amount of federal funding that’s distributed to each area which can go to schools, funding and roads. 

Cities can also use those counts when hiring their first responder crews and emergency preparedness. 

Tom Mullins with the Tyler Chamber of Commerce says population size can also determine which areas large business chose to settle in, creating even more jobs. 

To fill out the census, residents can compete them online, at the bureau, or with workers who are sent out to canvass neighborhoods. 

Responses to the census are required by law, and all answers are confidential, meaning staff isn’t able to release any information to immigration services or other agencies. 

The official count deadline is April 1, 2020.