JACKSON, Wyo. — Census season is in full swing and Wyoming is falling far behind in its responses.
The national self-response rate currently hovers at around 50.5%; Wyoming is lagging behind that at 41.7%—the majority of that response coming from online responders. Only West Virginia (39%), New Mexico (39.7%), and Maine (41%) have been slower to respond.
Within the Cowboy State, Teton and Sublette are dragging down the curve with 14.4% and 10.3%, respectively.
With mail service being what it is in both Teton and Sublette county, the lack of online participation is more troubling. Since the 2020 Census is not mailed to PO boxes, a great majority of residents in Teton County will not be able to participate by mail.
“We don’t send census forms to P.O. boxes, so it’s actually normal for them not to receive a form in the mail at their P.O. box,” said former US Census Bureau director Robert Groves. “The census is all about counting people where they live and sleep, so we must tie each form to a physical location. P.O. boxes are not tied to specific housing units, so we can’t use them to send the forms to specific housing units.”
Residents can respond online without a mailed in Census ID — just enter your physical address (not PO Box).
That leaves physical contact with a census-taker. This is not an ideal situation for either resident or census-taker under the current coronavirus pandemic situation.
Typically, census-takers begin canvassing neighborhoods in May. That practice is likely on hold or pushed back as adjustments are already being made to the 2020 Census schedule due to COVID-19.
The original cutoff date for people to return their forms by mail or complete the form online or by phone was set for July 31. The pandemic and consequent distancing and sheltering mandates has pushed that date back to August 14. In-person visits by census-takers have been postponed. Counts are due to the White House by December 31, 2020 but it remains to be seen whether that date is practical.
The Census occurs only once every ten years and the count impacts how state, county, and municipalities are funded by numerous federal programs. Respond now online.
