By Staff
Special to the Advance
Escambia County has had a 64 percent response rate so far in the 2010 Census, exceeding the response rate in the 2000 Census, state officials said Friday.
Thirty-two counties had gone beyond their 2000 rates as of noon Friday, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs announced. Another five counties equaled the participation level they reached during the previous census.
The improvement extended to several counties in the Black Belt region, an area that previously had the state’s lowest participation rate, ADECA officials said.
Escambia County’s 2000 response rate was 58 percent.
Alabama residents who lost or did not receive a 2010 Census questionnaire should call a toll-free number offered by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Residents can call 1-866-872-6868 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. to request a Census form. They can also save time by giving their answers to a Census Bureau representative over the phone, ADECA officials said.
The Census Bureau will send out forms until April 22, but will continue to take residents’ information over the phone after that date.??The Census questionnaire asks 10 questions, including a person’s name, sex, age, date of birth, race, ownership of the home and relationship to others in the household.
City and county officials have said a complete count is important for Brewton and Escambia County because federal funding is so often tied to population count.