NOW is the time to Be Counted in the 2020 Census

The 2020 Census deadline is rapidly approaching on Sept. 30, 2020. NOW is the time to make sure that all of Georgia is counted. In our previous blog, we highlighted the importance of the census and the lag in self-response rate in rural Georgia counties.

The total response rate for Georgia is 84.7%, which puts the state well behind the national rate of 91.8%. This number incorporates the total number of self-response, whether online, by phone, or by mail, plus the follow-up rate from the Census Bureau representatives going door-to-door in communities.

Georgia’s “nonresponse follow-up rate” (those completing the census in-person with a census representative) is 23.5%, also below the national average of 26%. Click here to see the daily updated progress by state for the 2020 Census. Our neighboring state of South Carolina now holds a total response rate of 85.3% – a higher rate than Georgia – thanks to better success in their follow-up response rates.

If you are worried about speaking to someone who knocks on your door, you can easily identify a Census Bureau representative by asking to see his or her Department of Commerce-issued identification card.

Participation in the census is required by law. Not only does it pay to act, but the cost and consequences of inaction will be high for our communities. In the immediate term, the consequences will last a decade – but the effects will be felt far longer as Georgia is shortchanged from funding and planning opportunities that have lasting results.

It is imperative that every Georgian is counted in the census. We urge Georgians to set aside just 10 minutes to participate in this once-in-a-decade effort by completing the census online at: my2020census.gov.