What Census? Agency Calls Out Laggards Across US

WASHINGTON (March 30) -- The first person counted in the 2010 Census may have been an Alaska Native living above the Arctic Circle, but down in the state's largest city, the percentage of forms mailed back is among the worst in the nation.

The Census Bureau said today that mail participation in Anchorage is just 41 percent, well below the national response rate of 46 percent. If that continues, Anchorage could help the northernmost state finish dead last again in mail responses. In 2000, just 56 percent of all Alaskans mailed back their Census form, compared with 67 percent nationwide.

Yet two days before Census Day, April 1, Alaska has competition for last place. From Texas to the Atlantic coast of Florida, the states of the Deep South are turning in the worst participation rates in the nation for the constitutionally mandated, once every 10 years population survey. While nearly half the nation has mailed back the forms, response rates have been dismal in several areas:

New Orleans: The 24 percent response rate comes despite extra efforts by the Census Bureau to ensure a complete count there. The city's households were laggards even before Katrina hit, mailing back just 58 percent of forms in 2000, compared with the national rate then of 72 percent.

Jackson, Miss.: The state capital's participation rate is 31 percent.

Texas: Laredo notched a 27 percent participation rate, the worst in the state. Also lagging: Brownsville, 25 percent; Austin, 33 percent; Houston, 33 percent; and San Antonio, 37 percent.

Alabama: Birmingham, 35 percent; Montgomery, 41 percent.

Florida: Just 32 percent of Miami residents have mailed back their forms. Participation also lags in Fort Lauderdale, 33 percent; Tallahassee, 35 percent; and Tampa, 38 percent.

Source:Census Bureau

Not everyone is dragging his feet. According to the Census Bureau's online participation tracking map, the most civically minded region of the country may be the upper Midwest. Participation rates in South Dakota top the nation at 58 percent, followed by North Dakota and Nebraska (57 percent each) and Wisconsin and Iowa (54 percent each).

The Census Bureau won't speculate why folks in Ayr, N.D. (2000 population: 23), and Badger, S.D. (2000 population: 144), have managed 100 percent mail-back rates.

But Census Director Robert Groves said those in bigger cities should keep in mind that for every percentage point increase in mail response, taxpayers will save an estimated $85 million in federal funds. He noted that there is still time to send back the form before census workers hit the streets May 1 to fill in the missing households.

"The 2010 Census is easy, important and safe," Groves said. "It's only 10 questions and should only take about 10 minutes to complete."