Census response numbers coming in

America’s national Census Day on April 1 has not arrived yet, but response numbers already are rolling in for the 2020 U.S. Census.

Anyone staying home to slow the spread of novel coronavirus still can respond, said one of Lorain’s complete count committee leaders.

The official Census Day is April 1, but the process of compiling the national headcount takes place over several months.

Lorain’s Complete Count Subcommittee was planning a public day of activities to mark April 1, the day that serves as the official time to count America’s population.

It’s now postponed due to the ban on large public gatherings to slow the spread of COVID-19.

But local residents still can stand up to be counted, said Rick Soto, deputy safety-service director for Lorain.

Soto has taken the lead in Lorain City Hall as Lorain County community leaders emphasize the importance of a complete and accurate count.

The figures will determine the number of representatives that states have in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Federal and state officials also use the numbers to determine

how to allocate money that pays for programs and services.

Due to COVID-19, Census field operations were postponed at least two weeks, according to the federal U.S. Census Bureau.

But local residents still should participate, Soto said, and they can easily by telephone.

Call-in population

Census reply invitations went out via mail from March 12-25.

People can respond online, by telephone or by mail, Soto said.

The phone option is especially helpful for Lorainites who do not have regular access to computers or smart phones, he said.

Soto added he completed his family’s Census form by telephone and helped a friend do so.

“It took me no more than five minutes to fill out,” he said.

The process is easy, selfexplanatory and understandable by just about anybody, Soto said.

Public meetings will remain on hold in Lorain and elsewhere for the near future.

But anyone who needs assistance filling out a Census form or who would like to learn more, can reach Soto at the city Safety-Service Director’s Office at 440204-2011.

Response rates

The U.S. Census Bureau has begun publishing response figures that begin to paint the picture of how residents are replying.

The published figures indicate the “self response” rate, or the number of people who received the census invitation and responded to it.

For example, as of March 23, Lorain had a self response rate of 24.4 percent, lower than Ohio’s state rate of 25.5 percent.

Elyria’s self response rate was 25.8 percent, Oberlin’s was 30.4 percent and Vermilion’s was 27.6 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau figures.

Avon Lake had a self response rate of 31.5 percent, while Avon’s rate was 29.5 percent and North Ridgeville’s rate was 30.1 percent, as of March 23.

Lorain’s Internet response rate was 15.7 percent, which is lower than that of other communities so far.

That is why the telephone responses can be helpful, Soto said.

Self-response

The self response rate is important because later this year, Census workers will go out to find people who were mailed Census forms, but did not send in their information, Soto said.

The goal is to motivate and assist them to send in the number of people living there, he said.

In 2010, Lorain’s final self-response rate was 66 percent — meaning 34 percent of people invited did not reply.

Census workers do their best to track down accurate numbers.

But a low self response rate likely leads to undercounting the population, Soto said.

The situation is even more drastic in Ohio’s larger cities, he said, citing figures for Cleveland and Cincinnati.

“They are so under-reported,” Soto said. “There’s no doubt they’ve missed out on a lot of federal programs for their cities.

“Those bigger cities are leaving a lot of money on the table from the federal government.”