The State of Arkansas is currently below the national self-response rate in the 2020 Census. The national self-response average is 46.2% and the State of Arkansas sits at 43.3%.
Sebastian County is above the trend, with a self-response average of 47.4%. Within the county, the cities of Hartford, Huntington and Hackett are well below average at 21.9%, 17.4%, and 36.1% respectively. Mansfield, whose population is split between two counties, is at 39.5%.
Scott County as a whole is reporting 32.7% in self-response for the 2020 Census. Among those current numbers, 11.5% have responded on the internet. The City of Waldron’s self-response rate is currently at 28.2%. The final 2010 self-response numbers for the 2010 Census for Scott County was 59.1%.
So what exactly do all these numbers mean? Has the current health and economic crisis prevented people from participating in the Census, perhaps. U.S. Census officials say it’s even more important for residents to self-participate, as responding now will minimize the need for the Census Bureau to send census takers out into the communities to follow up.
These are only preliminary reports and the census website provides ongoing updates to those percentages. Beginning May 27-August 14 Census takers will interview homes that haven’t responded to the 2020 Census to make sure everyone is counted.
Low participation means less funding for towns. 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.
“Participation in the 2020 Census is critical because it determines funding for the city for the next 10 years,” stated Mansfield Mayor Buddy Black. “If citizens want more things for our town, then this is how they can help make that happen.” Black went on to add that it is more important now for self-response participation, because of COVID-19. “I want to encourage everyone to participate and ask them to pass along the importance of participation to others as well.”
You can still respond to the Census 2020 mailer, or go online to www.my2020census.gov to participate. Remember that your information is completely confidential and protected by law and cannot be shared with any other government agencies, including law enforcement or immigration officials. Federal law (U.S. Code Title 13, Section 9) protects your privacy and keeps your answers safe and secure. By law, the U.S. Census Bureau can use your responses only to produce statistics.
