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In the coming weeks, you will likely find a reminder in your mailbox to fill out the 2020 U.S. Census.

This year is the first time people can fill out the census online, but you can get a paper questionnaire if you prefer.

Such a count happens only every 10 years, so this will show the country and Northeast Ohio how things have changed in the last decade. ideastream鈥檚 Nick Castele and All Things Considered Host Tony Ganzer explored how this year鈥檚 census will work and what the results will mean for Northeast Ohio for the next 10 years.

First of all, what is the timeline for the census?

The U.S. Census Bureau is sending out reminders beginning March 12 with instructions on how to take the survey, . Respondents can complete the census online, by phone or on paper. By April 1, everyone should have received a reminder.

If you live in a college dorm, nursing home or other group setting, census workers will make a special effort to ensure you鈥檙e counted. They鈥檙e also doing the same for people who are homeless.

From May through July, you might see census workers going door to door to follow up with people who haven鈥檛 taken the survey yet.

We won鈥檛 see the results until next year, but you鈥檝e asked some experts share what trends in Northeast Ohio they鈥檙e watching. What did you hear?

Obviously one big question to watch is whether the city of Cleveland continues its decades-long decline in population. Most recent estimates from the Census Bureau put the numbers around 383,000 to 387,000.

There may be some hope we鈥檒l see the numbers heading in another direction, especially given development in Downtown, Ohio City, Detroit-Shoreway, Tremont and University Circle.

But Mark Salling, a Cleveland State University who spends a lot of time with census numbers, doesn鈥檛 expect to see the city grow.

鈥淥h, I don鈥檛 think Cleveland鈥檚 population is going to increase, no,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he question is how much it鈥檒l lose. And where, importantly, where in the city, which neighborhoods will continue to decline, which ones maybe will strengthen. We might see some growth in some neighborhoods, who knows?鈥�

Many East Side neighborhoods were hit much harder by the foreclosure crisis. In the years since, they just haven鈥檛 seen the same sort of development as hotter real estate markets in the city.

One other force to watch in our region is whether suburban communities at the very edge of the Cleveland and Akron areas keep growing

What about demographics? Are there any projections on demographic changes we might see for our region in this census?

The 10-year census doesn鈥檛 give us information on poverty and income 鈥� that鈥檚 done by the Census Bureau鈥檚 American Community Survey, smaller-scale series of surveys done each year.

But we will see things like how many people are living in an area, whether they rent or own, their race and ethnicity and also their age.

The age question is one Kate Warren at the Center for Community Solutions is really watching. She鈥檚 interested in seeing where older adults are living in 2020.

鈥淪uburban communities have a higher percentage of seniors, and some of that has to do with there being more housing opportunities for them there,鈥� Warren said. 鈥淐ities just tend to be a little bit younger.鈥�

The count will help us make decisions about services and where older adults would like to age, she said. It鈥檚 particularly important as the Baby Boomer generation continues moving into retirement.

Another big question is Congress. Is Ohio going to have less representation in Washington after this census?

Bad news for Ohio: the general belief is that we鈥檙e probably going to lose a Congressional seat. We鈥檝e been losing those since the 1970s and are down to 16 now.

Another thing to consider is that with fewer members of Congress, Ohio will have fewer electoral votes too 鈥� and that could make us less of a prized possession in the 2024 presidential race.