By Conrad Dudderar
Senior Staff Writer
With 58.2% of Yukon households having already responded to the 2020 Census, city leaders are calling on more Yukon residents to finish their census questionnaires.
Some 57.6% of Yukon respondents have filled out their census documents online, the U.S. Census Bureau reported April 15.
People also can complete their forms by phone or by mail. Whatever method is used, it typically takes less than 15 minutes.
Yukon’s final 2010 Census response rate was 76.7%.
With many Oklahomans staying inside due to Gov. Stitt’s COVID-19 shelter-in-place order, Yukon Mayor Mike McEachern believes Yukon should top that 2010 rate.
“Now that people are home, they should log on and fill out the census on-line if they can,” Yukon Mayor Mike McEachern said. “Otherwise, they can send it in. It doesn’t take long and there’s not a lot of questions.”
The 2020 Census asks a few simple questions about people living in the household as of April 1, 2020. This includes the type of dwelling (house, apartment or mobile home), number of people living there, and each person’s name, sex, date of birth, race, and origin.
One person who is at least 15 years-old should respond for each home. They should live in the residence themselves and know general information about each person living there.
ACCURATE COUNT … SUPPORT FOR STATE
Canadian County has one of the higher 2020 Census self-response rates among Oklahoma’s 77 counties, with 52.1% responding online and 54.3% overall. Canadian County’s final 2010 Census response rate was 71.6%.
Oklahoma’s self-response rate to the 2020 Census (43.6% overall; 35.3% online) is considerably lower than the national response rate of 48.6%. The state’s final 2010 Census response rate was 62.3%.
Census results help determine how billions of dollars in federal funding flow into states and communities each year. The results also determine how many seats in Congress each state gets.
“The better we can respond, the more (federal) support Oklahoma will receive for education, public safety, infrastructure, and other programs,” Mayor McEachern said.
Field collection, including door-to-door canvassing, is due to resume June 1 and continue through Oct. 31.
“We need people to participate in the 2020 census because the State of Oklahoma derives more than $1,600 per person in financial benefits for everyone that’s on the roll,” McEachern said. “It’s important to local communities and the state for us to have an accurate count so we get all the money we deserve.
“This is an important issue.”
Census questionnaire responses are “anonymous” and data collected is used only to determine federal funding and congressional representation, Yukon’s mayor reminded citizens.
The census is mandated by the Constitution every decade and the U.S. has counted its population every 10 years since 1790.
Most households received their invitation to respond to the 2020 Census between March 12-20.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has asked Congress to give the Census Bureau an additional four months to present 2020 Census data.
If Congress approves the 120-day extension, the bureau would have until April 30, 2021 to provide the results (Dec. 31 is the current deadline).
For more information about the 2020 Census, visit my2020census.gov.
