Census work resumes

WHITMAN COUNTY – 2020 Census questionnaire packets will be dropped off at front doors in Washington state again. The Census Bureau began hand-delivering census materials on March 15, but suspended all fieldwork for this operation on March 18 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While more than 95 percent of Washington households received their 2020 Census invitations in March, approximately 92,000 residences in rural areas of Washington that do not receive regular U.S. Mail service still have not received a census packet.

The Census Bureau will deliver 2020 Census invitations and paper questionnaires at the front doors of households in Washington that had not received theirs earlier. Almost two-thirds of Washington households have responded to the 2020 Census, and Washington is the sixth best-responding state in the U.S.

People are strongly encouraged to respond promptly to the 2020 Census using the ID number included in the questionnaire packet. People can respond online, by phone or by using the paper form in the packet.

According to a Community Action Center press release, based on the count from the 2010 Census, Washington State gained a seat in the House of Representatives and received $16.7 billion federal funding. For every 100 households that aren’t properly accounted for, the state could lose $5.8 million over a 10-year period.

The CAC will be partnering with a census representative to host a digital webinar answering common questions about the 2020 census and walking through the form process this upcoming June.

Census participation is required by law, and according to the Census Bureau, helps to guide federal funding distribution, create jobs, provide housing, prepare for emergencies, build schools, roads and hospitals and determine how many seats Washington gets in Congress.