SIDNEY – Census takers soon will begin to visit residences throughout the United States that haven’t responded to the 2020 census.
Census takers, hired from their local communities, will visit every household in the nation that has not responded to the census. The field work originally was scheduled for May 13 through July 31 but was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Census takers can be identified by a government ID badge with their photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark and an expiration date on the badge. Individuals can confirm a census taker’s identity by contacting their regional census center and speaking with a Census Bureau representative. Ohio is part of the Philadelphia Regional Office, which can be reached at 267-780-2600.
Census takers will never ask for a Social Security number, a bank account or credit card number, anything on behalf of a political party, or money or donations.
All census takers must wear masks and follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local public health guidelines while conducting their work. The census takers also must complete virtual COVID-19 training on social distancing protocols and other health and safety guidance before beginning their work in neighborhoods.
If no one is home when a census taker visits, census takers will leave a notice of their visit with information about how to respond online, by phone or by mail.
Through Sunday, 62.9% of American households have responded to the 2020 census. At 67.3%, Ohio is tied with Utah and Idaho for the ninth best response rate in the nation. Ohio is behind Minnesota (72.2%), Wisconsin (69.5%), Nebraska (68.8%), Michigan (68.8%), Iowa (68.8%), Washington (68.4%), Virginia (67.7%) and Illinois (67.7%).
Shelby County is tied with Stark County for the 18th best response rate among Ohio’s 88 counties at 72%.
Auglaize County has the seventh best response rate in Ohio at 75.4%, Miami County is ninth at 73.9%, Mercer County is 12th at 73.4%, Darke County is 20th at 71.9%, Champaign County is 32nd at 69.8%, and Logan County is 77th at 59.5%. Medina County leads all Ohio counties with a 79.7% response rate.
Minster has an 86.3% response rate, which trails only St. Henry (87.1%) and Evendale (86.8%) for the best rate among Ohio’s 928 incorporated communities. At 84.5%, Russia has the best response rate in Shelby County and the 14th best rate in Ohio.
Fort Loramie (81.7%), Botkins (72.5%), Anna (71.6%) and Sidney (69.4%) also have exceeded state and national response rates.
Lockington (61.7%), Jackson Center (56.3%), Kettlersville (57.7%) and Port Jefferson (52.8%) are lagging behind state and national response rates.
The results of the census, which has been held every decade since 1790, determine how many congressional seats each state gets and how $1.5 trillion in federal spending is distributed annually.
The 2020 census marks the first time that residents are encouraged to respond to the census online. However, individuals still may answer the questionnaire by phone or through the mail.
Residents can respond to the census by visiting my2020census.gov or calling 844-330-2020.
