“The more people, the more dirty clothes.” – Ancient laundromat wisdom
Time flies, as do the decades. Despite the ongoing pandemic and economic concerns, there’s a headcount to be made in 2020. The original constitutional edict from the framers comes to life in the current-day mission to count our communities every 10 years through the Census. Although the technology may be new and the circumstances have become more difficult, we still have a duty to be counted. The laundromat industry has an opportunity to boost this effort by promoting the importance of the Census to the communities we serve.
The first good reason to do so is self-serving in the sense that any successful laundromat build or buy begins with a comprehensive demographic analysis. As we scour the numbers and scout the locations, we should remember that our understanding of population trends, household incomes, and the percentage of renters and other mission-critical data begins with the decennial Census data. Businesses of all stripes use this information to make valuable economic analyses necessary to identify market potential, locate facilities and find the labor needed to succeed. With that said, the Coin Laundry Association has signed on as a national partner with the U.S. Census Bureau to promote Census 2020.
The results of the 2020 Census will be used by the federal government to apportion more than $800 billion in resources for key services, such as education, roads, health care, police and more – not to mention the allocation of Congressional representation for your neighborhood and your state. In fact, as many as 16 states will either gain or lose up to three seats in Congress based on the results of this year’s count.
Given that, I’m proud to serve on ReadyNation’s Business for the 2020 Census Task Force. For more information about the impact of the Census, please visit: www.strongnation.org/readynation/2020-census.
The mission at the LaundryCares Foundation to connect communities with early childhood development and literacy resources is part of the story as well. A complete and accurate Census will ensure that the proper funding will be allocated to the neighborhoods we serve – including funding for education. The typical laundromat neighborhood is among those often undercounted by the Census. By promoting the Census, you will be doing your part to bring those crucial resources to your community, while showing your customers that you care.
Here’s how you can help:
• Complete the Census yourself. Visit www.2020census.gov.
• Ask your friends, family and employees to do the same.
• Display posters from the Census Bureau in your laundromats and/or share social media messaging to encourage your customers to be counted. Great resources for this initiative may be found at: www.coinlaundry.org/2020census.
Let’s set the table for another 10 years of reliable demographic data vital to making the most important (and expensive) decisions we make in the laundromat industry. Let’s offer the neighborhoods we serve the best possible opportunity for support and progress in the decade to come. Let’s make it count in 2020 by promoting the Census to our communities.
[Editor’s Note: Be sure to also take a look at the CLA’s demographic report service at: www.coinlaundry.org/demoreports.]
