Census Bureau visiting non-responding households in Whatcom County this week

If you haven’t filled out the 2020 Census yet, you may be visited very soon.

Census takers will start doing follow-up visits with non-responding households on Thursday, July 30, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The response rate for houses in Whatcom County is 69%, higher than the average response rate for Washington state, at 67.7%, and the country, at 62.3%.

Lynden has the highest response rate in the county with 77.5%, Bellingham comes in with 74.7%, Ferndale has 72.7% while Blaine has the lowest response rate in the county at 66.6%.

Census takers will visit addresses of households that haven’t responded yet and will follow social distancing and local health protocols while visiting. Households can still complete the census online or by phone.

Census takers will be identifiable from a government ID badge and all takers speak English. Additional language speakers can be requested.

The U.S. Constitution mandates a census of the population every 10 years. The goal of the 2020 Census is to count everyone who lives in the United States on April 1, 2020 (Census Day), according to a census news release. “Census statistics are used to determine the number of seats each state holds in the U.S. House of Representatives and informs how billions of dollars in federal funds will be allocated by state, local and federal lawmakers annually for the next 10 years,” it stated.

More information on the census can be found at 2020census.gov.