Census response lagging in many Mon Valley homes

For the Mon Valley Independent
Many boroughs and cities in the Mon Valley that are at risk of being under-counted in the 2020 U.S. Census have already fallen behind.
Grant Cole, community outreach specialist for the Mon Valley Initiative, said nationally, about 43% of households have completed their U.S. Census forms, but in some parts of the Mon Valley, fewer than 30% have responded.
“Historically, the Mon Valley region has been under-counted, which affects funding for schools, roads, emergency services and other vital resources,” Cole said.
Neighborhoods at risk of being under-counted include those with high percentages of people who move frequently, have a hard time reading and filling out forms, are suspicious of the government or those who don’t speak English well.
Those populations often include minorities, senior citizens and recent immigrants.
“While Allegheny, Washington and Westmoreland counties are reporting higher response rates than the national average, we are, unfortunately seeing low counts so far in municipalities in the Mon Valley,” he said.
Mon Valley Initiative, a nonprofit community development corporation, partnered with Jefferson Regional Foundation on its “Jefferson Counts” program to encourage participation in the U.S. Census by people living in municipalities south of Pittsburgh.
This year is the first time U.S. residents can complete census forms online, Cole said.
That’s important, because with the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s unclear when census-takers will be able to visit homes in person to collect information.
Any personal details collected in the census are kept confidential for 72 years, Cole said, so residents shouldn’t worry about sharing basic information about the people living in their homes.
By now, everyone should have received one or more reminders in the mail from the U.S. Census Bureau. Residents can go online at www.2020census.gov to complete the form.
If residents do not self-report, a census-taker will attempt to visit their homes, Cole said.
The deadline for completing a form online has been extended from July 31 to Aug. 15, but it’s not clear yet how the Census Bureau will handle in-person follow-ups after that date, he said.
“It is going to be especially challenging to complete an accurate census given the coronavirus pandemic,” Cole said. “Please do what you can to spread the word about filling out the census online, through the mail or over the phone, and if you haven’t yet taken the 2020 Census, please do so.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of April 2 the national response rate is 42.8% and the Pennsylvania response rate is 44.3%.

County census response rates:
• Allegheny 47.2%
• Fayette 37.7%
• Washington 44.6%
• Westmoreland 47.6%.
Municipal census
response rates:
• Belle Vernon: 31.9%
• Bentleyville: 47%
• California 36.0%
• Charleroi: 33.2%
• Donora: 33.4%
• Elizabeth: 36.8%
• Elizabeth Twp.: 55.7%
• Glassport: 34.1%
• McKeesport: 33.9%
• Monessen: 41.3%
• Monongahela: 40.8%
• Port Vue: 44.4%
• West Newton: 56.3%