If You Haven’t Filled Out Your Athens Census, Read This.
Abby Neff
Illustrations by Ashley Laflin
The U.S. Census Bureau conducts a count of the population in the United States and five U.S territories every ten years. According to the agency’s website, the census gives lawmakers, business owners, teachers and others services that support local communities.
Results of the census help determine legislative seats for each state in the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as drawing congressional and state legislative districts.
In 2010, only 40% of renters responded to the census in Athens County. Students living off campus are the hardest population to count for the census. Each person is worth about $1,400 annually, says Chris Chmeil, Athens County Commissioner.
While this census year has changed rapidly since the initial invitations to complete the count were issued mid-March, everyone living in U.S. territory is required by law to complete the census.
About 85% of the population that live in the census tracts for the city of Athens are between 18 and 24 years old. The current census response rate for the city is about 33%.
Students residing on campus on April 1 or were displaced because of the COVID-19 pandemic and lived in Athens during the academic year are eligible and required to fill out the census for Athens County.
According to the Athens County Auditor’s office, most forms of federal funding from the census are received in grants for various services provided in the region, including Jobs and Family Services.
If privacy concerns arise, it is important to note that the census does not ask for social security numbers or citizenship status. Information shared in the census cannot be used against participants by law enforcement. According to the Census Bureau, everyone counts.
The census count is vital for Athens County to be eligible for grants from the federal government. The form contains only nine questions, about the time it would take to watch a few TikToks or read a few tweets. Consider the resources the census provides for residents in Athens County year-round if the data included counts everyone.
Students and Athens County residents can respond to the census through phone, mail or the internet. To call, dial 844-330-2020. In mid-April, the Census Bureau mailed paper questionnaires to households that did not respond via phone or internet. Residents should mail their census to the address below:
U.S. Census Bureau
National Processing Center
1201 E 10th Street
Jeffersonville, IN 47132