Local towns in southern Denton County are responding to the U.S. Census at a higher rate than the rest of the state and country.
The U.S. Census Bureau has launched an interactive map to show self-response rates in each state, county and city. As of Tuesday, the national self-response rate is 45.7% and the self-response rate in Texas is 41.1%.
Denton County’s self-response rate is 49.2%, and many towns in southern Denton County are also higher than the state’s or country’s: Argyle is 49.1%, Bartonville 51.6%, Copper Canyon 42.4%, Double Oak 63.3%, Flower Mound 57.3%, and Highland Village 62.7%.
Everyone living in the United States must respond to the Census this year. Census takers will begin interviewing homes that haven’t responded in late May, and the Census Bureau will deliver apportionment counts to the President and Congress in December.
The Census is the federal government’s process of counting all the people living in the country every 10 years. Residents should have received mail from the U.S. Census Bureau with information about how to respond by via mail, phone or online.
The Census asks residents basic information about the demographics of the people living in the home. It takes 10 minutes to complete.
The Census information is important because an estimated $675 billion in federal funds is being distributed to states, counties and communities annually based on population and households, according to Denton County Judge Andy Eads. For each 1% of individuals not counted, the state could lose an estimated $300 million every year in federal funding. For Denton County, that same under-counted 1 percent equates to $10.2 million in federal funding losses per year or an estimated $102 million for the next decade. The Census is also used to determine how many seats each state should get in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Go to census.gov for more information.
