NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — By now, households across the U.S. should have received an invitation in the mail to complete the 2020 census. April 1 is Census Day -- a day meant to remind people to fill out their census as soon as possible.

A census only happens every 10 years. It's used to find an accurate count on the population.

Information gathered from the 2020 census will determine how many representatives in state has in Congress. It also determines how much federal funding goes to each state for important things like schools and roads. For a state like Tennessee, that's seen a big jump in population, accurate information is critical.

This is the first time every household in the U.S. has an option to respond to the census online. Some concerns have been raised about the issue of cyber security on this, but census officials say the online questionnaires are secure.

Everyone who lives in the U.S. is required to respond regardless of if they’re a citizen or not. There is no question about citizenship on the census.

Lawmakers say they’ve been worried about the coronavirus and the timing of the census, but census officials say they’ll adapt their operations as necessary to ensure a proper count. They’re asking people respond as soon as possible.

It’s required by law to fill out the census. If residents don't complete it, they could be fined. So far, Tennessee is on par with the rest of the U.S. for how many people have completed a census with 36.6% responding.