We have reached an important milestone in the 2020 Census! More than half of the households in our nation have responded by phone, mail or email, and there have been more than 80 million responses nationwide. To date, Texas has a 49.6% response rate and San Antonio has a 51.4% response rate.
Current times are unprecedented, but they also present an opportunity to reach families digitally across the nation. With dozens of states keeping stay-at-home orders or similar restrictions in place, the bureau has seen more households opt to respond to the 2020 census via the internet than it had expected.
In the wake of COVID-19, the US Census Bureau was quick to shift gears drastically, revising their schedules and extending the enumeration until October 31, 2020. From March to mid-April, census takers were scheduled to drop off paper invitations to the front-door of five million American homes, but COVID-19 pushed those dates back. The spreading virus and subsequent stay-at-home orders forced the bureau in mid-March to halt field operations such as hiring and training, reaching out to college students in off-campus housing, and dropping off paper questionnaires to households without traditional addresses. And, while the Census Bureau recently reported there will be a phased start to the resumption of field operations on June 1, it is imperative to remember to self-respond, and it has never been easier.
It is not too late to respond to the 2020 Census while being safe and practicing social distancing at home. Once you have responded, please encourage your family, friends, and loved ones to complete the census, too.
For more information about the US Census, please contact Stephanie Reyes, VP of Public Policy at sreyes@sachamber.org or by phone at 210-229-2162. Additional resources can be found at SABexarCountMeIn.org and the Chamber’s business resource completecountsa.com.
