U.S. Census Response Rates Vary Across The Tri-State

Tuesday, March 24, 2020 at 11:49 AM

The goal of the 2020 Census is to count every person who lives in the U.S. by April 1.

(Undated) - The U.S. Census Bureau has released initial response rates for every state, county and city across the nation.

Census invitations arrived at nearly 140 million households between March 12-20.

As of March 22, the national self-response rate is at 21 percent.

Indiana residents find themselves above the national rate at 23.4 percent. Ohio isn’t too far behind at 22.4 percent and Kentucky comes in at 20.8 percent.

Locally, Dearborn County has one of the lowest initial response rates in the state at 19.8 percent. Switzerland County comes in at 20.0 percent, while Ripley County has an initial response rate of 20.6 percent.

Ohio County residents have been slightly quicker at submitting their census information with a 24.5 percent response rate.

In northern Kentucky, 22.2 percent of Kenton County residents have already submitted census information. The response is at 21.2 percent in Boone County and 20.9 percent in Gallatin County.

Residents of Hamilton County, Ohio have had an initial response rate of 20.7 percent.

The U.S. Constitution mandates a census of the population every 10 years. Responding to the 2020 Census is easy, safe and important, and it’s key to shaping the future of communities. The goal of the 2020 Census is to count everyone who lives in the United States as of April 1, 2020 (Census Day). Census statistics are used to determine the number of seats each state holds in the U.S. House of Representatives and informs how billions of dollars in public funds are allocated by state, local and federal lawmakers for public services like emergency response, schools, hospitals and bridges over the next 10 years.

For the first time, nearly everyone will be invited to respond online, by phone or by mail.

If a household does not respond to the census, a census taker will follow up in person. In most cases, this will begin in mid-May and conclude in late July. Households can still respond on their own during this period, and if they do, they will be removed from the non-response follow-up workload. People are encouraged to answer all questions on the 2020 Census to avoid having a census taker knock at their door.

For more information about the 2020 Census, visit www.2020census.gov.