Courtesy U.S. Census Bureau
The U.S. Census Bureau is sending postcards between June 24 and July 3 to an estimated 1.3 million post office boxes in communities where P.O. boxes are the only mailing address available. The postcards alert households that a census taker may drop off census invitations soon or will visit later to interview them. The postcards also provide information on how to respond to the 2020 Census online or by phone.
According to Avalon Mayor Anni Marshall, about half the houses in Avalon are second homes, not first homes. “So that really skews our percentage,” Marshall said.
As of June 23, the Avalon Census response rate was 22.1 percent.
Los Angeles County’s response rate was 57.8 percent.
The national rate is 61.7 percent and California’s is 62.8 percent.
Census response rates can impact a community’s eligibility for federal (and state) funds for years.
The Census Bureau encourages people to respond to the 2020 Census as soon as they receive their invitation packets. Households that receive mail in P.O. boxes should provide their street address (not their P.O. box number) when responding to ensure their response is associated with the physical location where they live, not where they receive mail.
Households can respond online in English or 12 other languages, by phone using the Census ID included in the packet or by completing and mailing back the paper questionnaire delivered to them.
For more information, visit 2020census.gov.
