Today is the final day to be counted!
If you have not already done so, please take 10 minutes today to make a difference for our community!
Despite a two-week 2020 Census extension, North Carolina is still below our 2010 self-response rate of 64.8% and our rate is far below the national average.
North Carolina is currently ranked 36 out of 50 states and D.C. for the self-response rate. This low self-response rate puts North Carolina at an increased risk of an undercount, jeopardizing our fair share of federal dollars for the next decade.
Although ranked fourth in the state, Davie County is sitting at 71.1% meaning a significant number of households have still yet to respond.
The cost of a 3% undercount to NC’s communities:
- $1.8 billion in NC’s rural communities
- $400 million for NC’s veterans
- $333 million for children under the age of 5
- $930 million for African American communities
- $545 million for Hispanic/Latino communities
- $50 million for Native Americans
- $932 million for North Carolinians over the age of 65
10-year impact based on population estimates from the NC Office of State Budget & Management and estimated per capita funding from the GWU ‘Counting for Dollars 2020’ study and the NC Office of State Budget and Management.
When Does the Census End?
The Census Bureau issued an operations update stating that self-response and field data collection operations for the 2020 Census will conclude on October 15, 2020.
Specifically:
- Internet self-response will be available across the nation through October 15, 2020, until 11:59 pm Hawaii Standard Time (HST), (6:00 am Eastern Daylight Time on October 16, 2020) Visit https://2020census.gov/ to respond today.
- Phone response will be available for its regularly scheduled time on October 15, 2020. Click here for a schedule and a list of numbers.
- Paper responses must be postmarked by October 15, 2020.
- Nonresponse Followup census takers will continue resolving nonresponding addresses through the end of the day on October 15, 2020.
About the 2020 Census
The U.S. Constitution mandates a census of the population every 10 years. The goal of the 2020 Census is to count everyone who lives in the United States on 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 inform how billions of dollars in federal funds will be allocated by state, local, and federal lawmakers annually for the next 10 years.
