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2020 Census extends deadline for questionnaire

Louisiana's response rate is just under 60%
Posted at 8:35 PM, Jun 08, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-08 23:03:03-04

The deadline to turn in your 2020 Census questionnaire is extended to October because of the pandemic. Even with a few delays, the response rate for Louisiana is already an improvement from the 2010 census.

"Louisiana is so aggressive on this cycle because during the 2010 census, and this is what local elected officials tell me that they were still in the wake of Katrina and Rita," said Assistant Regional Census Manager, Marilyn Stephens.

Currently, the numbers in Acadiana parishes are off to a good start.

"Lafayette Parish is about 59.3 percent, right under the national average, which is good," said Stephens.

The push to get every household to fill out their paperwork takes less than three minutes and ensures the most accurate data gets back to the government.

"The primary reason for taking a census, counting the entire population every ten years is for an apportionment to determine how many seats in Congress each state gets," Stephens.

Filling out your questionnaire also makes sure your state gets the resources it needs.

"For healthcare, for infrastructure. Education, social services for emergency management, emergency preparedness for seniors and t veterans; the list goes on and on," said Stephens.

The goal is to make sure the people of Louisiana don't miss out on any of these industries.

"Everybody wants to get their fair share. The only way you can ensure that if you participate in the census," said Stephens.