Have you checked the mail today? If you haven’t, go check it. You may have gotten your invitation to complete the 2020 census.

By April 1, the U.S. Census Bureau will have contacted every household in the country, whether by sending a letter by mail or hand-delivering a census packet. It’s part of a once-a-decade tradition of counting every person living here, regardless of citizenship or immigration status.

It’s been 10 years since we’ve done one of these, so it’s time for a reminder: What is the census, and why is it so important?

Produced by Kurt Gardinier