Mathews is currently seeing a low turnout to the 2020 U.S. Census, which, if not improved, could affect federal funding for the county. Currently less than half of the county has responded to the census, and time to do so is running out.

The decennial census determines how billions of dollars in federal funding is allocated to communities each year. These funds can be used for programs such as public schools and emergency services. The census is also used to determine apportionment of Congressional representation.

Mathews County is sitting at around a 40.7 percent response rate, said Lisa Chesnel of the U.S. Census Bureau. This is less than half of the 83 percent response rate from 2010. Chesnel said that Gloucester has about a 65.9 percent response rate, which is closer to the county’s 2010 rate of 80 percent. She also said that Gloucester has had a larger percentage of internet responses, at 56.8 percent, compared to 27.5 percent for Mathews.

According to the U.S. Census we...