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Thursday, April 20, 2000

U.S. Census Bureau efforts to count everyone in America are winding down, but they aren’t over.

"Anyone who hasn’t sent in the form will get a non-response call," said Kevin Anderson, manager of field operations at the Census Bureau’s Chillicothe office.

He said most questionnaire counting is finished, meaning the follow-up calls could begin soon.

Preliminary estimates of counted people in Lawrence County show response rates did not meet the government’s goals.

As of Wednesday, 61 percent of the population receiving questionnaires had responded, compared to a county goal of 68 percent.

In addition to the county’s overall goal, each township also had its own mark to meet.

Perry Township’s response was 60 percent, 5 percent short of the 65 percent goal.

Rome Township’s response was 66 percent, lower than its 69 percent goal.

Symmes Township reported at 60 percent. Its goal was 69 percent.

Union Township followed Perry’s trend – 60 percent response, 65 percent goal.

Upper Township is 10 percent shy of its goal, coming in at 70 percent.

Washington Township slid the lowest, reporting at 56 percent compared to its 70 percent goal.

Windsor Township responded at 61 percent. Its goal was 73 percent.

The Village of Proctorville gave a 51 percent response, 11 percent lower than its 62 percent goal.

The Village of South Point responded at 64 percent, lower than its 70 percent goal.

Goals were based on 1990 responses, with 5 percent to 12 percent added to each location.

The bureau expected to have the response rate figures updated by today but they were not expected to grow much, Anderson said.

"If they have the forms lying around and didn’t do anything with them, go ahead send it in," he said.

"There is still time to get off the non-response list but that time is quickly going away," he added.

The bureau has been loading non-response files into its computer system.

Now, tracking down those who did not respond will occur over the next eight weeks, Anderson said.

Census workers will call or visit those who did not respond.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s every-10-year campaign to count and record the data of every person in the United States began April 1.

And officials have been encouraging participation because of the importance the data holds for government grants and programs.

For example, grants are sometimes ranked according to importance and that ranking is based on numbers of households and income levels.

Wrong census data could mean a bad rating, which could cause the grant request to fail, local officials have said.

The information also determines political representation among states and helps get financial assistance for roads, hospitals and schools, Anderson said.

But, most importantly, the census information helps communities plan for the future, he said.

For more information about the 2000 Census, contact the bureau at 1-800-471-9424.