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BY BRIAN HEWS • September 22, 2020
A study of local area cities on the 2020 census website public.tableau.com by HMG-CN shows that out of a total of 482 cities in California, many local cities rank in the bottom 50% in response rates but are above the overall response rate for Los Angeles County.
The census has been hindered by outreach challenges amid the pandemic, with counting efforts to end Sept. 30.
In March, census officials suspended field operations, to protect workers from the virus. This included efforts to drop off census forms at households in rural areas with no traditional addresses.
Workers didn’t return until May 4 as part of a phased restart.
The national response rate is 66.1 percent, a minimal increase from mid-June, when the response rate was 61.5 percent.
In California, response rates are higher than the national average. To date, 68.6 percent of households in our state have responded to the census.
Among area cities, Cerritos ranks number one and 21 out of 482 cities with a response rate of 82.8 percent.
Los Alamitos and Lakewood are tied at 81, both with a 78.7 percent rate while Artesia sits at 145 with a 75.8 percent rate
Cities in the lower 50% include Norwalk at 250 with a 71.3 percent response rate.
Bellflower is just behind Norwalk at 253 with a 71.1 percent rate with Commerce next at 269 with a 70.3 percent response rate.
Surprisingly, Downey sits a 298 with a 69.3 percent rate followed by Santa Fe Springs at 301 with a rate of 69.1 percent.
Pico Rivera is close behind at 304 with a rate of 69 percent with Montebello right behind at 307 with a rate of 68.8 percent
Sitting last on the list is Hawaiian Gardens at 373 with a response rate of 64.9 percent.
Some on the bottom of the list will surprise observers, Los Angeles sits at 442 with a 57.3 percent rate while Malibu is ranked 472 with a 40.9 percent response.
Number one is Piedmont at 89.4 percent with Paradise last at 12.5 percent.
For households that have not responded to this year’s census, it’s not too late.
The census questionnaire is available online at my2020census.gov and takes only 5 minutes to fill out.
Failure to respond will cost cities, counties, and states billions of dollars that fund crucial services needed before, during and after the pandemic. This includes hospitals, Head Start programs, school lunch programs, Medicaid, food stamps and more.
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