WAUKEE, Iowa — Later this week, census employees will start knocking on doors in Waukee. It’s the first of multiple Iowa communities doing a special census.
About 30% of Waukee residents have filled out the online census application. Officials are hoping to cover the remaining 70% going door to door.
Waukee has grown by about 30% since 2020’s census, according to City Administrator Brad Deets.
"Since the 2020 census, we’ve added around 7,000 new residents to Waukee…,” he said.
That growth goes deeper than data. With this special census, it’s a number the city can capitalize on.
“We’re projecting anywhere from $1 million to $1.3 million in additional funds that will come available to the city, and that’s annually for the next five years," Deets said.
They’ll put that extra cash to use through road improvements, according to Deets.
“From as simple as filling potholes in the spring after the thaw has come out of the ground to doing asphalt overlays for our older, more established communities," he said.
Plus, Waukee’s growth could be enticing to potential developers.
“National retailers in particular - they’re looking at census information, household counts, household incomes in order to make that financial decision on whether or not to locate in a community," Deets said.
He says the special census is a roughly $750,000 investment for Waukee.
Deets says local municipalities can only request one special census in between the last traditional census in 2020 and the next traditional census in 2030.
Pleasant Hill is another community in the middle of a special census right now. City officials echo Deets’ sentiments, saying that they hope the updated count reflects their growth and brings in more funding.
Pleasant Hill's media contact pointed to multiple ways the city can use the funding the census brings in, including street maintenance, infrastructure improvements and snow removal.