Catching up on bad news for rural Americans about the 2020 Census

The New York Times published this today, which reminded me of this story about 10 days ago out of USA Today, headlined "2020 census 'emergency' threatens to leave out communities of color and rural Americans."  Marco della Cava reports, and here are two excerpts that implicate both rural places and people of color: 

Texas stands out: A majority of its counties show fewer than 50% of residents self-reporting their census information. Edwards County, by the Rio Grande, is at just 14.8%. Other undercounted areas include almost all of New Mexico; California's Central Valley; the southern half of Georgia; and the largely Native American Four Corners region where Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona meet.

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[Howard] Fienberg [co-director of the Census Project, the nation's largest census advocacy group] notes that a big undercount is likely to affect rural areas that already face limited commercial and federal resources, places such as Big Horn County, Montana, where 82% of the population of 13,000 is uncounted by the 2020 census, or Rich County, Utah, where 88% of 1,800 have yet to respond.

Today's New York Times story also mentioned Big Horn County as an illustration of what is going wrong with this year's Census.  Again, that report conflates rurality with the American Indian count.

But rural whites will be undercounted, too.  This story that came out in my hometown newspaper, the Newton County Times, today, "Residents report difficulty responding to Census" by Staff Reports (which in this case means some was picked up from Census Bureau press releases).  My home county is nearly all white, and the current response rate there is just 31.1%, while the response rate in the county seat is 40%.  Here's the story: 

Jasper and Newton County residents are reporting difficulty filing their information for the 2020 US Census, said Jasper Mayor Jan Larson during Thursday's city council meeting.

Larson wants residents to participate in the census because population data is important for the city to be considered favorably for state and federal grants. People want to help and fill in their census forms, she said, but they say their information is not being received and recorded. 

Council Member Michael Thomas agreed, saying he filled out census forms three times, the first two times were done online, but they did not register with the Census Bureau, he said. The third time he filled out the questionnaire presented by a census canvasser, but he still doesn't know if the information was saved on the bureau's reporting system.

Council Member Todd Parker said he went online to fill out the census form, but he had trouble getting the computer program to accept his city street address. He had to modify the address in order for the information to be accepted.

Others point to the county's 911 addressing system as the problem.

Larson said that about 40% of the city has taken the census.

A press release received by the Newton County Times earlier this week states that census takers in Newton County are following up with households that have not yet responded to the 2020 Census.

The current self-response rate in Newton County is 31.1%. The Census Bureau will need to visit the remaining addresses to collect responses in person.

Households can still respond now by completing and mailing back the paper questionnaire they received, by responding online at 2020census.gov, or by phone at 844-330-2020. Households can also respond online or by phone in one of 13 languages and find assistance in many more. Those that respond will not need to be visited to obtain their census response.

What Households Can Expect

The Census Bureau will provide face masks to census takers and requires that census takers wear a mask while conducting their work. They will follow CDC and local public health guidelines when they visit. Census takers must complete a virtual COVID-19 training on social distancing protocols and other health and safety guidance before beginning their work in neighborhoods. 

Census takers are hired from local communities. All census takers speak English, and many are bilingual. If a census taker does not speak the householder’s language, the household may request a return visit from a census taker who does. Census takers will also have materials on hand to help identify the household’s language.

If no one is home when the census taker visits, the census taker will leave a notice of their visit with information about how to respond online, by phone or by mail. People are encouraged to cooperate with census takers and ensure that everyone who was living in their household as of April 1, 2020, is counted.

How to Identify Census Takers

Census takers can be easily identified by a valid government ID badge with their photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date on the badge. To confirm a census taker’s identity, the public may contact their regional census center to speak with a Census Bureau representative.

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 informs how billions of dollars in federal funds will be allocated by state, local and federal lawmakers annually for the next 10 years.

This all reminds me that my mom told me back in March when she completed and returned her  Census Form.  Being home from work early in the pandemic gave her time to do so.  That's about when my household here in California also returned ours.