The next census is eight months away, and the Hoosier State is getting ready.

The Census Bureau encourages all states to work with local governments and nonprofits to get an accurate count. Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch says every state agency is being asked to come up with a plan by mid-October for how it will spread the word. She says even agencies which don’t normally deal with individuals directly deal with companies or groups who do.

The 10-year population count helps determine how much money Indiana gets from dozens of federal programs as various calculations measure every Hoosier is worth about an extra $2,700. The census also determines how many House seats each state has. Indiana lost a seat in 2000 when population growth didn not keep up with the rest of the country. Demographers believe Indiana is unlikely to gain or lose seats this time.

Indiana is the 17th-most populous state. Crouch says she wants to see Indiana break the seven-million barrier, which would be a five-percent increase over a census estimate last year and an eight-percent jump over the last official census which was taken back in 2010.