Henderson County’s census response rate near 66%

Henderson County currently has a nearly 66% response rate for the 2020 Census, larger than neighboring counties for a count that could bring more funding and representation locally and statewide.

It is important for Henderson County to be completely counted for representation and funding purposes, said Business and Community Development Director John Mitchell at Monday’s Board of Commissioners’ meeting.

North Carolina is expected to gain an extra seat in the U.S. House of Representatives due to the census count. This representation could bring additional funding that the county and organizations can use for public health and safety, explained Mitchell. The data is also used when bringing some issues to the planning board and commissioners, he added.

Mitchell provided an estimate that for every person who responds to the census, $1,823 is brought into Henderson County.

County Manager Steve Wyatt said Henderson County, and much of Western North Carolina, is traditionally undercounted, noting 2020 is not an exception. The response rate to the census is a matter of money and political power, he explained.

“It is extremely important that everyone participate,” Wyatt said.

Recently, Dogwood Health Trust approved an $11,000 grant for Henderson County to provide compensation for the effort spent in generating and increasing the census response rate. The money will be used to offset the cost of the county’s outreach efforts.

Local, state census data

As of this week, the response rate in Henderson County is at 65.8%, slightly above the state’s average of 63.1%. The 2020 rate has also already surpassed the last census count, as Henderson County had a final 60.5% response rate in 2010.

The national rate is at 66.7%.

Henderson County has a higher volume of responses than its neighboring counties, and several counties in rural Western North Carolina have some of the lowest levels in the state.

Transylvania County is currently at 52.1% and Polk County at 57%. Buncombe County’s response rate is 63.8% so far. Avery, Jackson, Macon, Swain and Graham counties have some of the lowest, with all at or well below 40%.

Census results help shape the future of communities, as the data informs how billions of dollars of federal funds are distributed for health clinics, school lunch programs, disaster recovery initiatives, and other critical programs and services for the next 10 years, according to the U.S. Census 2020 website.

The Census Bureau will deliver apportionment counts to the president and congress in December, as required by law.

It isn’t too late to respond to the census, and submissions can be made online, by phone or mail.

For more information on the census or to respond online, go to https://2020census.gov/. Details on how to respond via phone and email are also available under the “how to respond” tab at the top of the homepage.