DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Illinois state and local leaders gathered at the Decatur Public Library to talk about the impact the 2020 Census will have on the state of Illinois.

There are 21 days remaining for Illinois residents to fill out their 2020 Census. Governor J.B. Pritzker said the Census will have a major impact on the state's funding.

"Just a 1% under count could result in the state losing $195 million in federal funds at a time when we need our full funding the most," Pritzker said. 

COVID-19 continues to financially burden many states. Illinois Sen. Andy Manar said decisions made on this year's budget used data collected from the 2010 census.

"Many of the programs now that we have prioritize in this year's budget with the governor's leadership to respond to COVID-19 and the global pandemic have used data that was complied in the census 10 years ago," Manar said.

The Census response will help secure funding for schools, law enforcement, first responders and decide how many seats a state will hold in Congress. John Kindseth, Decatur's deputy city manager, said for every person that is not counted in the Census, the city could potentially lose $1,400 to $1,500 per year from the federal government.

"So many of the social services we have here and that we are blessed to have here in Macon County are funded through grants and through direct allocations from the federal government based on a population basis," said Kindseth.

The Census is a 10 minute task that does not ask for personal information. To learn more and to fill out the Census, click here.