The Census Bureau has a new system for counting deployed troops, a change which could have a significant impact on the distribution of $1.5 trillion in federal funding, as well as divvying of congressional seats, CQ reported.

Previously military members’ census data, with regards to residence, applied to the home state recorded on one’s DOD paperwork.  The change for the 2020 Census will differentiate between military members stationed abroad long-term and service members on temporary deployments.

The apportionment change may have the largest impact on heavily populated military communities including Texas, California and North Carolina. Officials say the previous system underfunded programs in military communities such as education and infrastructure. “If 12,000 people are gone for six months but coming right back, you are still going to need schools and roads and resources,” said Beth Jarosz of the Population Reference Bureau.

Photo by Census Bureau