As the door to door field operations get underway in Southlake and in other Tarrant County cities, the push is on to wrap up the 2020 US Census.
The Bureau announced in early August that they would wrap up field operations on September 30, one month early. Self-response options will also close on that date so the Bureau can submit the information by their mandated deadline of December 31.
Right now, Southlake’s current response rate is at 80.7%, which is just below the 2010 response rate of 81.8%.
“Every response counts,” said Mayor Laura Hill. “Even if you’ve responded, ask your friends and neighbors if they’ve submitted their information. I’ll bet you’d be surprised at the number of people who haven’t had a chance to participate. If you haven’t yet, just go online, it only takes about five minutes.”
Southlake’s Community Engagement Committee is also getting involved by using social media and reaching out one-on-one.
“Southlake has changed a great deal since 2010,” said Sherry Berman, Community Engagement Committee Chairman. “A complete count will help make sure our City neighborhoods and businesses get the support they need for the next ten years. The CEC team is excited to be involved.”
Community Engagement Members include Ms. Berman, Vandana Tanneru, Vikram Jangam, Ben Siebach, Jessica Coffee, and Rashmi Singh.
For more information about the 2020 Census, visit the 2020Census.gov website. To learn more about Southlake’s efforts in support of the Census, click here: www.CityofSouthlake.com/2020Census.
How much has Southlake grown since 2010? We’ll find out this year as the US Census Bureau tabulates the information it receives from every city across the US, including Southlake.
Every ten years, the United States conducts a massive count of all its citizens. For most citizens, the count doesn’t start until mid-March with a mailed invitation to complete the Census. The exception is the most remote parts of Alaska, where the count began January 21.
Click the picture for a sample 2020 Census Questionnaire.
According to the Census Bureau, the “results help determine how billions of dollars in federal funding flow into states and communities each year. The results [also] determine how many congressional seats each state receives.”
The Census effort is years in the making. The confidential and anonymous citizen responses are accepted online and by phone, as well as through the mail. The 2020 Census field staff are responsible for verifying addresses and gathering information about where people live.
“We know that people may have questions about census field workers who will be in Southlake neighborhoods starting in April,” said Deputy Director of Public Relations, Pilar Schank. “There are three ways to identify Census staff. They will have a laptop computer with a census logo on it, a black canvas bag that also has a logo, and most importantly, they will have a photo ID card."
Schank added that Southlake Police Officers are aware of these guidelines as well and will be working with citizens in case they have questions. Depending on the number of responses, the workers could be in neighborhoods as late as July.
“Based on our 2010 numbers, the Southlake Census Bureau is predicting a very high response rate for Southlake, said Schank. “We’d like to match or exceed that rate in this Census.”
For more information about the 2020 Census, visit the 2020Census.gov website. To learn more about Southlake’s efforts in support of the Census, click here: www.CityofSouthlake.com/2020Census.
