By By Sherry Digmon
Advance Staff Writer
In a few days, Census Bureau employees will start knocking on doors.
Census 2000 questionnaires are still coming in, according to Winnie Smith, Media Partnership Specialist with Census 2000, but some residents will have to be contacted personally.
The cost of processing a mail-in form, the one that each household received and was asked to return, is about a dollar. The cost of sending a census-taker to a home is about $60 to record the same information.
Smith said it's too early to be disappointed by initial response figures since questionnaires are still coming in.
The initial response rates are available online at www.census.gov and are updated daily.
The latest figures show Pollard leading Escambia County Ala., in the initial response rate with Atmore falling in the middle behind Pollard and Brewton but ahead of Flomaton and East Brewton. Florida and Escambia County Fla., are both doing better than their Alabama counterparts.
Nationwide, eight entities n which could be cities, counties, states or reservations n have met their target.
As of Monday, April 10, response rates were:
* the United States n actual response, 61 percent; target response, 70 percent;
* Alabama n actual response, 56 percent; target, 67 percent;
* Escambia County (Ala.) n actual response, 52 percent; target, 67 percent;
* Atmore n actual response, 55 percent; target, 70 percent;
* Flomaton n actual response, 46 percent; target, 65 percent;
* Pollard n actual response, 58 percent; target n 72 percent;
* Brewton n actual response, 57 percent; target, 67 percent;
* East Brewton n actual response, 40 percent; target, 62 percent;
* National Indian reservations n actual response, 61 percent; target, 70 percent;
* Poarch Creek Indian Tribe n actual response, 46 percent; target, 71 percent.
* Florida n actual response, 58 percent; target, 66 percent;
* Escambia County (Fla.) n actual response, 60 percent; target, 64 percent;
* Century n actual response, 40 percent; target, 46 percent.
The information compiled from census questionnaires is used to allocate more than $100 billion in federal funds. State, local and tribal governments use census data for planning and allocating funds for new school construction, public buildings, roads and bridges and police and fire departments.