Updated 07/11/2010 09:44 AM
Door-to-door Census ends, Texas participation lagging
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The following report was produced by Lora Collins.
Intern Showcase: Saturday marked the end of "phase one" of the 2010 U.S. Census.
According to bureau officials, Texas has an overall lower participation rate than 2000. The census bureau office reported a 72 percent average participation rate across the nation, but only a 69 percent participation rate in Texas.
The U.S. Census Bureau website indicated the following county's mail-back participation rates.
- Travis county: 70 percent
- Hays county: 73 percent
- Bastrop county: 71 percent
- Comal county: 76 percent
The highest state participation rate came from Wisconsin, with 81 percent. Other states' participation rates included Minnesota, at 80 percent, and Iowa and Indiana, at 78 percent.
Census forms were mailed in March. April 16 was the last day to return the forms.
Jenna Arnold, a spokesperson for the Census bureau's office in Dallas, said the census is necessary for funding purposes.
"The Census is important for the local community," Arnold said. "It's how over $400 billion in federal funding is allocated back to local communities. It's also how redistricting in the [U.S.] House of Representatives is done," she said.
The U.S. Census Bureau will not release raw numbers until all phases of the Census are complete.