Litchfield County counts in the census

As Connecticut’s census self response rate reaches 60 percent this week, residents in Litchfield County are being reminded to step up and be counted in the 2020 Census. Your response to the census will determine federal funding, political representation, and community planning for the next 10 years. It’s important that we get the count right.

So far, Connecticut has made immense strides in reaching a 60 percent census response rate. We could not have achieved this important milestone without the tireless work of our census partners across Litchfield County, the members of our statewide complete count committee, our 156 local complete count committees, and other state, local, and federal officials. Despite the fact that COVID-19 has impacted planned census outreach efforts, Connecticut has already exceeded the national response rate of 56.8 percent and we’re currently the best counted state in the region.

Litchfield County is slightly trailing behind other parts of the state with a 58 percent selfresponse rate, but the hard-to-count city of Torrington (58.8 percent) is ahead of other cities like Hartford (37 percent), Stamford (57 percent), and Waterbury (43.7). Ten out of the 15 towns with the lowest self-response rate in Connecticut are located in Litchfield County. They are Salisbury (32.8 percent), Cornwall (37.9 percent), Sharon (40.9 percent), Washington (41.3 percent), Norfolk (42.5 percent), Canaan (42.7 percent), North Canaan (42.9), Kent (44.8 percent), Morris (47.5), and Warren (50.5).

These towns are not alone. Nearly 40 percent of Connecticut residents have yet to respond to the decennial count, which began mid-March this year. But, with billions of dollars in federal funding on the line, we simply cannot afford to leave anyone out of the count. We must step up our efforts.

An accurate census count is critically important to Connecticut as it is the foundation to determine nearly $11 billion in funding for federal programs that families and individuals in Litchfield County depend on every day.

The 55 federal programs funded using census data include lifesaving programs like Medicare ($908 million), Medicaid ($4.6 billion), SNAP ($685 million), WIC ($46.9 million), school nutrition programs ($129.5 million), Head Start ($76 million), student loans ($1 million), special education ($136 million), Section 8 housing ($240 million), community block grants ($62.4 million), transit ($62 million), foster and adoption assistance ($106 million), and so many other programs that families across our state rely on every single day.

For each person who is not counted in the 2020 Census, Connecticut is at risk of losing an average of $2,900. Securing this critical funding is important now more than ever.

The good news is that there’s still time to ensure that Litchfield County and all the rest of Connecticut is counted. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Census Bureau has extended the deadline to respond to the 2020 Census to October 31, 2020.

Even more so, residents are being encouraged not to wait until the deadline to complete their form. More people completing the census now means less census workers will be at risk of being exposed to COVID-19 while enumerating those who did not self respond to the survey. We can help maintain social distance for the census takers during this time and potentially save lives.

It has never been easier to complete the census from the safety of your own home. You can do it online, over the phone, or by filling out the paper form that was mailed to your home in April.

Here’s what residents need to know about completing the census:

⏩ It’s available online at 2020Census.gov (in over a dozen non-English languages) or by calling 844-330-2020.

⏩ It takes less than 10 minutes to complete.

⏩ There are a total of 12 questions.

⏩ The census is completely safe and confidential. In fact, U.S. Census Bureau employees take an oath to protect your personal information for life.

The data collected by the 2020 census affects not just government, but also private businesses, schools, hospitals, non-profits, and other public and private entities. It is extremely important that we count everyone.

Our futures depend on it, so let’s do our part.

Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz poses with staff members during a thank you rally in front a health care center this month.