Residents in Sergeant and Norwich townships are lagging behind in responding to the 2020 Census, according to data on the McKean County website.
The 2020 Census counting will continue through Oct. 31, according to a federal judge’s order issued late Thursday. The data is used to allocate seats in Congress and to determine federal funding allocations.
Two Census events are scheduled today in an ongoing effort for McKean County to reach a 100% response rate.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., census events will be held at the Bradford Area Public Library and the Mount Jewett Public Library.
As an extra incentive, every household that completes the census at one of these events will receive a $5 gift certificate from either the Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce or the Kane Chamber of Commerce.
“Every year the federal government doles out $600 billion in federal finding that is tied directly to census numbers,” explained Jeremy Morey, McKean County planning director and member of the county’s Complete Count Committee for the census.
“That equates to roughly $2,100 per year for every person that is counted,” Morey said. And that means a loss of $2,100 per year for every person who isn’t counted.
“Over the life of the census, that is $21,000 per person that we miss out on,” he explained. The federal funds go to programs like food assistance, heat assistance, health insurance for children and heating assistance for low income residents.
“It’s extremely important that we get as many people counted as possible,” Morey said. “It’s safe, easy and important and it’s 10 minutes for the next 10 years.”
According to the county’s census dashboard, Sergeant Township’s response rate has been 19.8%, while Norwich Township’s rate is 30.8%.
Both townships had better response rates ten years ago in the last census. According to the dashboard, Sergeant Township’s response rate in 2010 was 34.2% and Norwich Township’s rate was 43.4%.
In this year’s responses, Hamilton Township was next, with a response rate of 33.6%, while Corydon Township’s rate is 39.4%. Ten years ago, the response rates were 38% and 42.1%, respectively.
Elsewhere in the county, the response rates for the 2020 Census have been better than they were a decade ago. Hamlin Township has a current response rate of 43%, while in 2010, that rate was 31.6%
Lafayette Township has seen an improvement, too, with a 48.4% response, compared to 45.2% a decade ago. Mount Jewett Borough has seen a 60.1% response, which is greater than the 2010 response of 50.3%.
Bradford City’s response rate is at 60.6%, less than it was a decade ago when the rate was 67.8%.
Ceres Township’s current rate is 61.5%, and the 2010 rate was 72.3%; Liberty Township, 66.1% and 67.3% in 2010; Keating Township, 66.3% and 70.7% in 2010; Smethport Borough, 67.6%, and 73.9% in 2010; Eldred Borough, 67.9%, and in 2010, 70.1%; Annin Township, 68.1%, 72.8% in 2010; Lewis Run Borough, 68.9%, 77% in 2010; Kane Borough, 69.7%, and 70.3% in 2010; Eldred Township, 70% and 70.8% in 2010; Port Allegany, 71.5% and 72.1% in 2010; Otto Township, 73.2% and 60.3% in 2010; Foster Township, 74.4% and 73.7% in 2010; and Wetmore Township, 74.5% and 73.1% in 2010.
The best census response rate so far this year has been in Bradford Township, where 78.7% have responded. In 2010, that rate was 76.7%.
So far in 2010, there have been 28,638 people counted in the county.
