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60.5% of Households Have Responded, Georgia Still Behind Nat’l Average

In May, Georgia ranked 35th for response rates on the Census. As of this week, we have slipped in that ranking.
have you returned your Census?

More than 60% of households in America have completed their 2020 Census. Of the more than 89,500,000 households to return one, 48.7% have completed their Census online.

Pro Roof GA

Census results shape the future of communities, as census data informs how billions of dollars in federal funds are distributed for health clinics, school lunch programs, disaster recovery initiatives, and other critical programs and services for the next 10 years.

To date, Minnesota (70.3%), Wisconsin (67.7%), Iowa (67.2%), Michigan (67.1%), and Nebraska (66.7%) lead in response rates.

In mid-April, Georgia lagged behind the national average for response rate, ranking 35th in getting those Census questions back to Census officials. Just 2,300,000 Georgians had returned their Census as of April 18, 2020. As of May 15th, Georgia still ranked 35th. As of June 1st, Georgia is No. 36th with a 56.7% response rate. Approximately 2.7 million Georgians have completed their Census, according to the website.

The top counties in Georgia for response rate are as follows:

  1. Fayette (72.6%)
  2. Forsyth(70.6%)
  3. Columbia (68.2%
  4. Paulding (66.7%)
  5. Oconee (66.5%)

Quitman County (22.7%) ranks last in the state, followed by Hancock (22.8%), Calhoun (24.9%), McIntosh (25.6%), and Stewart (25.9%), respectively.

There is still time to return your Census on your own whether online at 2020census.gov, over the phone, or by mail. The deadline has been extended to October 31 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Census Bureau will deliver apportionment counts to the President and Congress in December as required by law.

When you respond to the census, your answers are kept anonymous. They are used only to produce statistics. The U.S. Census Bureau is bound by law to protect your answers and keep them strictly confidential. The law ensures that your private information is never published and that your answers cannot be used against you by any government agency or court.

Jessica Szilagyi is a former Statewide Contributor for AllOnGeorgia.com.

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