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LUMBERTON — The U.S. Census Bureau has extended its online data filing deadline of Wednesday to Oct. 31, which could be good for Robeson County’s considering the local response rate was only 35.2% as of Tuesday, according to a Bureau partnership specialist.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bureau also has temporarily suspended field operations, including an operation called Update Leave. The operation involves the Census Bureau hand-delivering the invitation to respond to the 2020 Census instead of sending it by mail. Most households received the invitation by mail, but a small percentage of the population lives in very rural areas, like the majority of Robeson County, and/or do not have a mail receptacle at their home.

“That means households who would normally have been hand-delivered their Census invitation have not received their invitation to respond yet,” Keela Reyes said. “As soon as field operations begin we will be delivering those invitations to respond, so those households will have an opportunity to self-respond to the count.”

The Census Bureau temporarily suspended 2020 Census field data collection activities in March. Steps are being taken to reactivate field offices in preparation for the resumption of field data collection operations as quickly as possible after June 1.

The U.S. Census Bureau also is seeking Congress’ approval for 120 additional calendar days to deliver final counts that determine representation in the U.S. House. The current deadline is Dec. 31.

“Under this plan, the Census Bureau would extend the window for field data collection and self-response to Oct. 31, 2020, which will allow for apportionment counts to be delivered to the president by April 30, 2021, and redistricting data to be delivered to the states no later than July 31, 2021,” U.S. Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham said in a statement.

Population determines the number of representatives in the U.S. House.

Accurate counting of residents is vital to local governments because each person is worth $1,625 in federal dollars and $240 in state funding per year, meaning a loss of $18,650 over the 10 years until the next Census count for each person who is not counted. The potential losses for undercounting county residents could reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars, according to Census officials.

As of Tuesday, Fairmont has had the highest response rate in the Robeson County, with a rate of 41% in the 2020 count. Next is St. Pauls with 39.5%; Red Springs with 37%; and Lumberton, 36.9%. Maxton’s response rate was 30.6% as of Tuesday; Marietta, 29.3%; Parkton, 25.2%; Pembroke, 24.5%; Rowland, 19.7%; and Lumber Bridge, 17.4%.

The final self-response rate a decade ago in Robeson County was 68%, Reyes said.

The 2018 estimates for Robeson County show a population decline of 2,337 compared with the 2010 census, when 134,168 people were counted, citizens and noncitizens. Minorities are typically undercounted, and Robeson County’s population is about 70 percent American Indian, black and Latino.

Nationwide, more than 70 million households have responded to date, representing more than 48% of all households in America.

People who have internet or access to internet can respond to the 2020 Census at www.2020census.gov.

Reyes https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/web1_Reyes-1.jpg Reyes

Tomeka Sinclair Staff writer

Tomeka Sinclair can be reached at [email protected] or 910416-5865.

Tomeka Sinclair can be reached at [email protected] or 910416-5865.