2020 U.S. Census Sees Higher Count Results Than 2010

The 2020 U.S. Census ended on last Thursday at midnight and according to the U.S. Census Bureau, updated numbers released this week show 99.98% of all housing units and addresses nationwide were accounted for as of the end of self-response and field data collection operations on Oct. 15.

Bureau officials say paper responses are still arriving and will be processed if they are postmarked by October 15, and received at the processing center no later than October 22.

In all states, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, more than 99% of all addresses have been accounted for, and in all but one state that number tops 99.9%.

That compares to the final self-response rate in 2016, which was just 66.5%.

Dr. Steven Dillingham, Director of the Census Bureau said this week that Americans stepped up and answered the call to shape their future by responding to the 2020 Census.

He said that after a decade of global decline in census and survey participation along with the challenges presented to communities by COVID-19, the Census Bureau had not expected to exceed the 2010 self-response rate.

Dillingham said the fact that they did is a testament to the American people, the nearly 400,000 national and community partners, and the Census Bureau staff.

The Director also credited new techonology with helping to reach the 99% percentile results nationwide.

Dillingham said the Census Bureau will use the best methodologies available to resolve the very small number of unresolved addresses and to ensure that our data products are accurate.

The Census Bureau is now working to process the data in order to deliver complete and accurate state population counts as close as possible to the Dec. 31, 2020, statutory deadline.