Even as Pennsylvania’s census response rate ticks 3 percentage points above the national rate of 62.8%, many counties across the Keystone State are lagging way behind.
As of Thursday, the U.S. Census Bureau reports less than a third of Forest and Sullivan counties’ residents have responded while counties like Chester, Franklin and Lancaster are seeing response rates near 70 or 75%. In the Capital region, Dauphin and Cumberland counties are seeing response rates better than the state’s 65.8% average.
In 2010, Pennsylvania had achieved an 81.8% response rate.
Low census responses come at a cost. Estimates show that every Pennsylvanian not counted in the Census amounts to roughly $2,100 in lost federal funding for such critical programs as Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, and the National School Lunch Program.
It also determines the number of congressional districts the state will have. Currently, Pennsylvania has 18 congressional seats, but with slow population growth in comparison to other states, it has lost five seats since the 1990 census.
That’s a concern to Wayne County Commissioner Jocelyn Cramer — who’s northeastern county sits at a 45.6% response rate..
“We’re on the edge of losing a congressional district. This is something we talk a lot about up here,” she said.
She attributes her county’s low response rate to inadequate access to the internet. She said that itself has presented a significant barrier to getting more residents to complete the Census. She estimates one-third of Wayne County residents have no internet at all — not just poor internet — and called on the state to fund this “essential service.”
What’s more, she said the Census Bureau does not mail the physical copy of the census to PO boxes, leaving many residents with only the internet as a means to fill out the form.
“If we can’t top what we did 10 years ago, we’re really concerned about that because in this year in a pandemic, think of all that infrastructure and public health money that’s supported through the census,” Cramer said.
Sullivan County Commissioner Donna Iannone said her county’s poor response rate — the second worst in the state at 30.4% only behind Forest County with a 25.8% rate — is concerning because “having accurate data is so important.”
She said the numbers may look worse right now than they might end up being because of the high number of seasonal homes in her county. They also get mailed the census form. But because a person can’t be counted twice, if a seasonal homeowner fills out the form under a different county or state, they would be removed as a non-responsive in Sullivan County, improving the county’s response rate.
Nonetheless, Iannone said getting all residents counted is a “huge priority.” She said the county is navigating “new and creative ways” to encourage residents to complete the census as the pandemic has disrupted its usual means of raising awareness at local fairs and festivals.
Now, Iannone said the county is raising awareness through social media and opening up computers at a library next week to fill out the census.
But like Wayne County, internet access in her rural county has depressed the response rate, creating a wide gap from a county like Bucks that has a 75% response rate, the highest in the state as of Thursday.
“The Census Bureau is putting so much weight on internet response to make it more efficient and economical, but look at counties in Pennsylvania that are struggling: they don’t have internet,” Cramer said.
Statewide, the Wolf Administration has been coordinating outreach across the state to drive up its response rate. Second lady Gisele Fetterman traveled to six counties this past winter as part of a pandemic-shortened community tour to encourage census participation.
But a recent NPR report found Census workers who visit homes which have not yet filled out the Census will cut their door-knocking duties short by a month. Sen. Vincent Hughes, D-Philadelphia County, tweeted that the move will have an “incredible impact on our hard-to-count communities.”
Casey Smith, a spokeswoman for the Department of Community and Economic Development, said the state is particularly targeting such “hard-to-count populations,” including immigrants, communities of color, older adults, rural communities, LGBTQ individuals and residents experiencing economic hardship or homelessness.
Smith said Pennsylvania currently receives $26.8 billion annually for federally-funded programs. More than $365 million was allocated to the Children’s Health Insurance Program, more than $5 billion went toward federal direct student loans and more than $31 million went toward nutritional services for older Pennsylvanians.
She said the state built a “comprehensive marketing campaign” in line with messaging from the Census Bureau to encourage participation. The campaign has conducted paid advertising and distributed social media and print materials.
Cameron County has employed similar tactics as the state. County Commissioner James Moate said his northcentral county has advertised the census through local newspapers, radio stations and social media pages. The county also has placed flyers and promotional materials in food pantries, with school lunch pick-ups and with delivery orders at restaurants.
But Moate said in Cameron County — with a response rate of 41.7% — the census “has not been a priority for many people” during the pandemic.
“As an elected official, it is both saddening and concerning to me that our response rates are so low,” he said.
But outreach efforts will continue, he said. Cameron County has a Mobile Questionnaire Assistance program in the coming weeks, where Census Bureau workers will be on site answering questions and addressing concerns residents might have about filling out the census.
Closer to home, Dauphin County is kicking off its Census Week of Action campaign on Monday. The county’s response rate stands at 64.9%. In 2010, the county’s response rate ended at 78% — ranking 42 out of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.
The Dauphin County commissioners are reminding their residents that a congressional seat could be on the line this year and are working to dispel rumors that their information could be shared. All information obtained through the census is confidential and private by law.
“With the fears in some communities about deportation, we must get the word out that filling out the census will only help you and your neighbors,’' said Commissioner George Hartwick III. “People need to know the information cannot, and will not, be used against them in any way.‘'
Census forms must be turned in by the end of October. By law, the Census Bureau must get population counts to the president and Congress by Dec. 31.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county response rates as of July 30 are: Adams, 72.9%; Allegheny, 68.5%; Armstrong, 64.4%; Beaver, 68.8%; Bedford, 65.8%; Berks, 71%; Blair, 69.1%; Bradford, 59.7% ; Bucks, 75.1%; Butler, 73%; Cambria, 66.9%; Cameron, 41.7%; Carbon, 57.6%; Centre, 62.9%; Chester, 74.4%; Clarion, 57.6%; Clearfield, 61.9%; Clinton, 58.4%; Columbia, 62.2%; Crawford, 62%; Cumberland, 73.4%; Dauphin, 64.9%; Delaware, 68.7%; Elk, 65.7%; Erie, 70.2%; Fayette, 60.9%; Forest, 25.8%; Franklin, 71%; Fulton, 65.3%; Greene, 59.6%.; Huntingdon, 57.5%; Indiana, 62.8%; Jefferson, 59%; Juniata, 65%; Lackawanna, 62.2%; Lancaster, 74.5%; Lawrence, 67.6%; Lebanon, 71.4%; Lehigh, 72.4%; Luzerne, 62%; Lycoming, 64.5%; McKean, 61.9%; Mercer, 67.8%; Mifflin, 66.3%; Monroe, 49.9%; Montgomery, 73.8%; Montour, 58.1%; Northampton, 73.2%; Northumberland, 62.6%; Perry, 66.3%; Philadelphia, 51.7%; Pike, 38.2%; Potter, 47.1%; Schuylkill, 62%; Snyder, 71.1%; Somerset, 63.8%; Sullivan, 30.4%; Susquehanna, 47.9%; Tioga, 53.4%; Union, 68.4%; Venango, 62%; Warren, 60.5%; Washington, 67.8%; Wayne, 45.6%; Westmoreland, 70.2% Wyoming, 54.7%; and York, 72%.
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