With Census Day (April 1) come and gone, some may assume that the decennial U.S. population count has also come to an end … and they’d be wrong.
“There has been some misinformation going around stating that April 1 was the last day to respond to the census,” said Gloria Williams, Gloucester’s Community Engagement and Public Information Manager and a member of the county’s Complete Count Committee. “April 1 was Census Day, and is by far, not the last day to respond.”
Overall, Virginia has a 50.4 percent response rate so far, which is above the national average of 44.5 percent. “We’re doing great as a state, and actually have the fourth highest percentage of responses of all the states,” Williams said. “This is really exciting, but we still have a lot of work to do.”
In Gloucester, there is a 46.4 percent response rate. “I think it’s a good start,” Williams said, “but we’ve still got ways to go to exceed last decade’s response return.” Mathews, meanwhile, has had a 29.2 percent response return rate to date.
Originally, it was planned that census takers would be following up in person, going door to door beginning in May for those who had not responded. That self-response deadline has been pushed back to Aug. 14, in light of the ongoing pandemic.
“With [Gov. Ralph Northam’s] stay-at-home order in place, we are using more virtual means to get the word out about the importance of the census,” Williams said. “Every count equates around $2,000 per person, per year in funding, as well as larger congressional representation.”
Some people—including those who do not receive mail at their physical address, but instead get their mail at the post office—may not have received their mailings from the U.S. Census Bureau. The letter, which contains their Census ID, is a useful tool, but not necessary, Williams said.
“The Census ID number is a tool used by the Census Bureau to expedite the process, but is not necessary to participate,” according to Williams.
People have the option of completing their census form online, by phone or by mail. To fill out the census online, visit https://my2020census.gov. Those who do not have their 12-digit Census ID can just click where it says “If you do not have a Census ID, click here.” They will then be prompted to fill out their physical address. From there, the entire process takes about 10 minutes to complete.
To complete the census by phone, call 844-330-2020. Phone lines are open every day from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m., Eastern Time. You can also respond to the census by mailing back the paper questionnaire sent to you. If you have lost your return envelope, mail the completed form to U.S. Census Bureau National Processing Center, 1201 E. 10th Street, Jeffersonville, IN 47132.
“There have been a lot of questions regarding students who have been forced to return home from college because of COVID-19,” Williams said. “These students should claim their college town in responding to the census; not their parents’ permanent address. This is because the census wants to know where the student spends the majority of their time, which is typically their college town.”
“It’s important to remember, this is our census,” Williams said. “With social distancing in place and no enumerators out in the field, we need your help to spread the word about the census. Now is a good time to call your neighbor or family member to see if they had any trouble filling out their census and if there is any way you can help them.”
“On this Census Day, most, if not all, households in Virginia should have received a census questionnaire,” Attorney General Mark Herring said on April 1. “Please make sure to fill it out and send it back to the Census Bureau. While I know most of us are focused on the coronavirus, it is so incredibly important that we all still participate in the census.
“The census isn’t just a project that the government does every 10 years to figure out how many people live in the country,” he said. “It ensures that Virginia has fair representation both at the state and the federal level and it determines funding for critical things like health care, transportation and child care.”
A total of $700 billion is distributed annually to nearly 300 different census-guided federal grant and funding programs, Herring said. In FY2015, Virginia received over $953 million in Highway Trust Fund grants, over $131 million in Urbanized Area Formula Grants, and nearly $64 million in Child Care Development grants, all based on census data.
“Though many Virginians are focused on COVID-19, it is still crucial that everyone takes times to complete the 2020 Census, which can be done quickly and easily online,” said Gov. Northam. “Counting every person in the commonwealth will ensure that we receive our portion of the more than $675 billion in federal funding that will be allocated to states for important programs, from Medicaid to school breakfasts.”
The Virginia Complete Count Commission serves as a trusted voice and resource to educate, empower and engage all communities for the purpose of ensuring that everyone who lives in the Virginia is counted in the 2020 Census, Northam said.
For more information on the 2020 Census and Virginia Complete Count Commission, visit census.virginia.gov or follow @CountOnVirginia on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.