By Erin Freeman | Lynnwood Times Staff
The deadline for households to respond to the 2020 Census has been extended. Still, they are just weeks away from the deadline to finish counting millions of residents in the U.S. Have you completed the census?
On August 3, Steven Dillingham, U.S. Census Bureau Director announced an extension of field data collection to September 30. Self-response options will also close on that date to permit the commencement of data processing.
As of August 17, 69.4% of Washington households have responded to the 2020 Census online, by mail or by phone. The response rate for all of Snohomish County is currently 72.7%. Leading cities in the county are: Woodway at 82.8%, Edmonds at 80.1%, Mukilteo at 79.5%, Mill Creek at 77.0%, Lake Stevens at 76.5%, Mountlake Terrace at 75.3%, Snohomish at 74.3%, Monroe at 72.4%, Lynnwood at 70.6% and Everett at 67.7%.
Every household in Snohomish County should have received a letter from the U.S. Census Bureau in March, inviting them to complete their 2020 Census form online or by phone.
The Census takes about six minutes to complete a total of 10 questions and can be done online at www.My2020Census.gov.
COVID-19 impacts
In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, Dillingham suspended the 2020 Census field operations until June 1. During this pause in field operations, the online self-response form and non-response follow up phases have been extended to September 30. The mobile questionnaire deadline Being modified to reflect the current environment, says the U.S. Census website. In-person Nonresponse Follow Up (NRFU) and NRFU re-interview have been rescheduled, commencing on July 16.
By law, the Census Bureau must deliver each state’s population total, which determines its number of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, to the President of the United States. The scheduled date for apportionment counts remains unchanged at December 31, 2020.
Why is the census important?
Every ten years, the population of the United States is counted in order to determine who receives federal funding and political representation in the U.S. Congress. It is estimated that for each person counted in the census, the county will gain about $2,000 per year in federal and/or state funding for programs such as: Head Start, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), transportation, Medicare and Medicaid.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the once-in-a-decade count determines congressional representation, informs annual federal funding and provides data that will impact communities for the next decade.
Asking questions related to the people living in or staying in your household on April 1, 2020, census data creates estimates about households for planning and funding government programs. Community responses additionally help create statistics needed by federal agencies to monitor compliance with anti-discrimination provisions.
For more information and details on all events countywide please visit the County’s 2020 Census website for more information and details on all events countywide: https://www.SnohomishCountyWA.gov/2020.
Census employment opportunities
The Census Bureau is still recruiting for field workers as large attrition rates are expected as a result of COVID-19. Bureau officials very much encourage those seeking employment to apply online to www.2020census.gov/jobs. It is not too late!
Response Rate Map
Are you curious about how many people in your community are responding to the 2020 Census? Stay up to date with a map of self-response rates from across the United States. Start here or click on the map below.
Author: Erin Freeman
