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Only 50.6 percent of Polk residents have filled out U.S. Census

POLK COUNTY—Only 50.6 percent of Polk County residents have filled out the 2020 U.S. Census.

The census is being taken this year for where residents lived as of April 1.

Polk County is ranked 61^st out of 100 counties in the census response. Polk County has also responded below the total state response of 56.4 percent.

The data comes from Carolina Demography, with the results taken from March 12-May 25.

Of the census results in Polk County, 29.7 percent responded to the census online compared to 44.4 percent of North Carolina households responding online.

There have been 20.9 percent of Polk County households respond to the census by phone or mail, compared to 12 percent of all North Carolina households responding

by phone or mail.

Compared to the census in previous years, Polk County is lower in terms of responses this year. In 1990, Polk County responded at a rate of 69 percent; 66 percent in 2000 and 52.1 percent in 2010, according to Carolina Demography.

Carolina Demography said the lowest responding tracts are heavily concentrated in western North Carolina, the Sandhills and the northeast in the state.

North Carolina ranks 35 out of the 50 states and DC. North Carolina has an overall rate of 54 percent, compared to 58 percent of households nationwide.

“These low-response patterns overlap with areas with low internet access and where field operations were suspended due to COVID-19,” Carolina Demography officials said.

The US Census Bureau has announced additional delays and requested and extension from Congress for delivering the final census count to the U.S. President and all field operations that require in-person contact were suspended until June 1.

The request to Congress, if approved, would delay deliver of the final counts from the previous December 2020 until April 2021.

Anyone who has not yet filled out the census can do so at 2020census.gov.