Guthrie ranks low in Census completion; deadline Sept. 30

There is little less than a month for citizens to complete the 2020 Census.

At the present time, Guthrie has a completion rate of 63% and Oklahoma ranks among the Bottom 10 nationally for its response rate, according to a release by the City of Guthrie.

It only takes a few minutes to complete the census, and you can respond by mail, over the phone by calling 1-844-330-2020 or online at 2020census.gov.

The Census deadline for data collections is coming up on September 30, a month early and the final report will be presented to the president by December 31.

“If you haven’t completed the 2020 Census, I urge you to please do that before September 30. Our community and state are counting on us,” City of Guthrie Economic Developer Shawnda Price said.

Census data determines how more than $675 billion in federal funds will be distributed to states each year in the decade following the Census. These funds help states build roads, hospitals, public works projects, schools and determine Oklahoma’s representation in the U.S. Congress.

After the 2010 Census, Oklahoma lost out on roughly $1.8 billion in federal funding and had the second lowest response rate of all 50 states. As a result of the low response to the 2000 Census, Oklahoma lost a congressional seat.

This year, Oklahoma stands to lose $16,750 per resident until 2030. That means a family of four that goes uncounted is a loss of $67,000 in federal funding over the next 10 years.

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the government is only now deploying Census workers to visit homes of citizens who have not completed the survey. Read more here on ways to complete the 2020 Census.