Avoid a knock on your door, respond to Census early, officials say
2020 questionnaires expected to be in the mail by early March

Within a month and a half, U.S. Census Bureau questionnaires will begin landing in the mailboxes of Prescott-area residents.

And the word from local officials involved with the 2020 Census is: Respond as soon as possible if you want to avoid a knock on your door by census workers.

The questionnaires for the 2020 Census are expected to be mailed to local residents during the first 10 days of March, said Prescott Community Development Director Bryn Stotler, who serves as the city’s representative on Yavapai County Complete Count Committee.

Residents have a number of ways of responding, including electronically. For the first time in census history, responses can be filed online. Stotler said online census responses will begin to be accepted on March 12.

People can also respond by mail or over the telephone, said Yavapai County Public Information Officer David McAtee, also a member of the Complete Count Committee.

Residents will have several weeks to respond before Census Day on April 1 — the target date for getting people counted, Stotler said.

Then, by about mid-May, the U.S. Census Bureau will begin to identify areas of low response, which will trigger in-person visits to homes that didn’t respond.

“Enumerators will be out by the end of July for an on-foot count,” Stotler said.

McAtee pointed out that a quick response by any of the available methods will allow residents to avoid an on-site visit. “If you don’t want people coming to your door, respond early,” he said.

BE COUNTED ‘WHERE YOU ARE’

Stotler said an effort is underway throughout the community to let people know that they should be counted where they are on April 1.

That includes temporary residents such as college students, assisted-living residents, rehab treatment residents, and people with part-time homes in Prescott.

Getting an accurate count on April 1 is important on a number of levels, Stotler said. For instance, federal funding for a host of programs is determined by population.

A “Counting for Dollars 2020” document on the www.2020Census.gov page states that Arizona received about $20.5 billion through 55 federal spending programs in 2016.

The total includes programs such as Medicaid, Federal Direct Student Loans, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Highway Planning and Construction, Federal Pell Grants, Section 8 Housing, Head Start, WIC (Women, Infants, and Children), and federal transit.

Population numbers also are used for state distribution of its state-shared revenue.

FINAL COUNT

The final count of the 2020 Census is scheduled to be delivered to the president in December 2020, Stotler said.

After that, she said the results would begin to be used in inform Congressional representation and state legislative redistricting.

Numbers from Census 2020 could begin to be released in early 2021, Stotler said.


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