Census Data and Budget Making in Georgia

A Financial Plan for Better Resource Management

A budget refers to a financial plan that helps individuals to make the best use of their revenue. Budgets identify the sources of revenue and assist in the planning of expenditures (Morgan et al. 12). However, revenues and expenses vary in the typical sense, and therefore budgets are in most cases estimates. The process of budget making is largely influenced by census data.

Influencing Development, Planning, and Quality of Life

As Morgan et al. elucidate, every state needs basic information on its citizens for the purposes of development, planning, and improvement of the quality of life for the residents (p. 13). Good government budgeting is based on up-to-date, detailed, accurate, and reliable information on the condition of society in the state. Such information makes it possible to plan for better services, solve existing problems, and improve the quality of life. Census data serves as the foundation for constructing planning forecasts and allows for critical and evidence-based decision making through all levels of government for a ten-year period. The census data offers economic, population, and demographic baseline information (Morgan et al. 13). As such, the census data ensures equity in the distribution of government services and informs the allocation of government resources. The current paper focusses on the state of Georgia, largely explaining how census data from the “people” dataset would influence the state budget.

Population Changes and Impact on the Budget

Changes in population, age and sex distribution, housing conditions, education, health, and personal income and poverty will influence the Budget of Georgia. Like other states, Georgia uses the state budget to ensure equitable income and resource distribution and to control economic activities in the best interest of the state (Melnic and Puiu 66). With this, data on population will influence both revenue and expense elements of the budget in Georgia. Considering that Georgia has experienced an increase in population (from 9,688,690 in 2010 to an estimated 10,429,379 people in 2017), there will be changes in the measures of collecting revenues (U.S. Census Bureau). As fixed costs are divided among more households, the resulting economies of scale might mean lower per-unit costs, and subsequently a decrease in individual taxes. However, the increase in population might also serve as an incentive for the government to increase its revenue for budget financing since it has the leeway to collect taxes from more people. With regard to expenditure, Georgia will undoubtedly factor the increasing population in its development initiatives. More money will be allocated to the construction of transport infrastructure and social amenities, including schools, public parks, and healthcare facilities (Melnic and Puiu 65). If stakeholders consider population to be increasing at an excessively faster rate, an increasing share of the budget will be allocated to family control initiatives and mass education.

Implications of Age and Gender Distribution

With regard to age and gender distribution, Georgia has experienced a slight increase in the number of female persons. However, Georgia continues to record significant decreases in the young population. People under 18 years were 25.7% of the population in 2010, but reduced to an estimated 24.4% of the population in 2016; those under 5 years also decreased in the same period from 7.1% to 6.4% (U.S. Census Bureau). A significant increase has been noted in the number of persons who are 65 years and above (from 10.7% in 2010 to an estimated 13.1% of the population in 2016). As explained by Lee et al., government spending on public safety, public education, and recreational services are concomitant with age and gender distributions of the population (p. 36). With the increasing population of the elderly in Georgia, a large amount of budget revenue will be allocated towards addressing issues that affect the elderly. Such will include improving health care services, especially for diseases that are common with an aging population (diabetes, dementia, depression, stroke, and heart attack), and providing healthcare insurance to improve access to care. However, a declining young population is not good for Georgia. The State of Georgia might take necessary budgetary measures to increase the birth rate or improve the rate of child survival. Such measures include increased budgetary allocation for neonatal care and child support services.

Addressing Housing Needs and Living Standards

In addition, the census data on housing will help the state of Georgia to acquire a picture of the standards of living and housing conditions within the state, and appropriately budget for housing needs. Considering that housing units grew at a very slow rate as compared to the rate of population growth (4,088,801 units in April 2010 to 4,218,776 units in July 2016), the state of Georgia would be much indebted to improve the standards of living of the residents through increasing the budgetary allocation for the provision of safe housing (U.S. Census Bureau). The state of Georgia could do this by increasing rent supplements to match the prevailing market rents, providing greater security for tenants by regulating rent, and introducing tax breaks for the landlords so as to make it much feasible to lease properties (Day 72). Other census statistics under the “people” data set, including education, health, transportation, economy, and income and poverty would also guide the process of budget making in Georgia.

The Role of Census Data in Budget Formulation

Overall, the census provides general information on the population in a given state or country. Taking the case of Georgia, this paper has explained that census information influences the state budget, including revenues and expenditures. Data on housing conditions, economic, demographic, and social conditions forms the basis upon which a country’s budget is formulated.

Works Cited

Day, Jennifer Cheeseman. “Population Profile of the United States.” US Census Bureau, 2010.

Lee, Robert D., Ronald Wayne Johnson, and Philip G. Joyce. Public Budgeting Systems. Jones &        Bartlett Publishers, 2012.

Melnic, Andreia Simona and Tatiana Puiu. ”Population Census.” Economy Transdisciplinarity     Cognition, vol. 20, no. 1, 2017, pp. 65-71.

Morgan, Douglas, et al. Budgeting for Local Governments and Communities. Routledge, 2015.

U.S. Census Bureau. Quick Facts – Georgia. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/GA. Accessed         15 March 2018.