As field workers begin going door-to-door, the clock is ticking on the deadline for the Census. Currently, Census workers are following up with those who failed to respond by mail or online.
What to Expect?
Census takers will wear masks and follow local public health guidelines when they visit your home. All census takers complete a virtual COVID-19 training on social distancing and other health and safety protocols before beginning their work in neighborhoods. Census takers are hired from our area, and their goal is to help you and everyone in your home be counted in the 2020 Census. Census takers work between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., including weekends. 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. If you respond online or by phone today, a census taker is less likely to have to visit your home to collect your response. If someone visits your home this year to collect information for the 2020 Census, check to make sure they have a valid ID badge with their photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date. Census workers may also carry Census Bureau bags and other equipment with the Census Bureau logo.
Who is required to respond?
Everyone living in the United States and its five territories is required by law to be counted in the 2020 Census. And while you are required by law to participate, the Census Bureau is also required by law to protect your answers. Your responses are used only to produce statistics. The Census Bureau does not disclose any personal information.
Why is it so important?
The 2020 Census will determine congressional representation, inform hundreds of billions in federal funding every year, and provide data that will impact communities for the next decade. The results determine the number of seats each state has in the House of Representatives. They are also used to draw congressional and state legislative districts. The results will show where communities need new schools, new clinics, new roads, and more services for families, older adults, and children. The results will also inform how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding are allocated to more than 100 programs, including Medicaid, Head Start, block grants for community mental health services, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP. Lastly, it will also determine federal funding to communities across the country—for hospitals, fire departments, school lunch programs, and other critical programs and services.
Ready to complete the Census?
You can respond online, by phone or by mail. It is so easy, and only takes a few moments to complete.
Current Community Self-Response Rates (as of Saturday, August 29):
Huntington: 38.3%
Cedarville: 43.2%
Hartford: 43.4%
Waldron: 43.7%
Mansfield: 50.5%
Magazine: 54.6%
Midland: 55.1%
Hackett: 55.4%
Central City: 60.5%
Charleston: 62.6%
Bonanza: 64%
Barling: 68.8%
Lavaca: 69.9%
State of Arkansas: 52.9%
United States: 64.7%
Need Help?
You can contact your local city hall for more information. The City of Mansfield is offering one-on-one assistance in filling out the Census. Contact them today!
Huntington City Hall: 479-928-5083
Cedarville City Hall: 479-410-3400
Hartford City Hall: 479-639-2219
Waldron City Hall: 479-637-5239
Mansfield City Hall: 479-928-5552
Magazine City Hall: 479-969-8555
Midland City Hall: 479-639-2635
Hackett City Hall: 479-638-8107
Central City City Hall: 479-452-6680
Charleston: 479-965-2269
Bonanza City Hall: 479-638-8649
Barling City Hall: 479-452-1550
Lavaca City Hall: 479-674-5616
