Announcement

UPDATE Oct. 14: Census deadline now Thursday, Oct. 15

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

UPDATED Oct. 14: Supreme Court ruling to end Census collection tomorrow, Thursday Oct. 15

From the Maryland Department of Planning:

Yesterday the Supreme Court issued a ruling granting a stay of the order issued by a federal judge in California that had extended the Census deadline to October 31. This decision led to the Census Bureau releasing a statement late yesterday announcing the end of the Census effective tomorrow, October 15th. While the Supreme Court’s decision allows for the underlying appeal to continue in the lower courts, we should consider the deadline of October 15th to be final unless things change in the appeals process.

Original release follows:

(Oct. 7, 2020) U.S. Census Bureau workers continue efforts to ensure a complete and correct count in the once-in-a-decade survey, which helps decide federal funding levels for the next 10 years.

Kelly Henry, Worcester County’s Complete Count Coordinator, said statistics from the Census are used in the distribution of $675 billion in federal funding for community services such as education, transportation, and health care.

As of Monday Oct. 5, all three Ocean Pines districts measured by the Census were above 2010 response levels:

Census Tract 9506 (Western Ocean Pines):
- 94.4% of occupied units responded and 55.2% of total housing units responded, compared to 87.3% and 53.8% in 2010
Census Tract 9511.01* (Eastern Ocean Pines 1):
- 93.3% of occupied units and 64% of total housing units responded, compared to 88.4% and 61% in 2010
Census Tract 9511.02* (Eastern Ocean Pines 2):
- 93.3% of occupied units and 60.6% of total housing units responded, compared to 88.4% and 61% in 2010

As of August, the Census Bureau reported that, overall, 73% of housing units had been counted, including 9.7% counted by census takers and other field data collection operations, and 64.2% of housing units responding online, by phone or by mail.

“This is the final stage of data collection for the once-a-decade population count of everyone living in the United States,” the Census Bureau said in a statement. “Households can still respond ... online at www.2020census.gov, by phone at 844-330-2020, or by completing and mailing back their paper questionnaire.”

As part of its Nonresponse Follow-up Operation, the Census Bureau is visiting every household that has not already responded to the 2020 Census.

Census takers are scheduled to visit nonresponding households between Aug. 11 and Sept. 30 to ask a few questions and to enter the answers on a secure Census Bureau smart phone. If a family member is not home when the census taker visits, they will leave a notice of their visit with information about how to respond online or by phone.

Census takers will follow social distancing protocols and state and local health and safety requirements.

Locally, Census Bureau efforts are also focused on reaching secondary homeowners.

Henry said more than 60 percent of the homes in Worcester County are considered “vacant” or secondary homes, because of the resort nature of the area.

“While the highest number of vacant/secondary homes are in Ocean City, there are also large numbers in South Point, Ocean Pines and West Ocean City,” Henry said. “There are still many areas throughout the county where residents, both primary and secondary homeowners, need to respond to the survey.”

She added that the deadline to complete the Census was moved to Sept. 30, meaning there’s still time to try and reach those who have yet to take part.

“For both primary and secondary homeowners, it is vitally important to complete the 2020 Census survey received at their Worcester County residence,” Henry said. “The U.S. Census Bureau wants to assure that all housing units are contacted, and the occupants properly counted. So, even secondary homeowners should respond, even though they have completed the Census at their primary residence.”

Information on completing the 2020 Census can be found online at www.my2020census.gov, or by calling 844-330-2020.

“Avoid that knock at the door from a census enumerator,” Henry said. “Take 10 minutes to complete the 2020 census survey online or by phone, for your primary and secondary home. It’s easy. It’s safe. It’s important. Do your small part to help your community over the next 10 years by being counted.”

*Note, the U.S. Census Bureau previously, in 2010, counted Census Tract 9511 as one district. The Census Bureau split the tract into two parts for the 2020 Census.

Announcement

UPDATE Oct. 14: Census deadline now Thursday, Oct. 15

UPDATED Oct. 14: Supreme Court ruling to end Census collection tomorrow, Thursday Oct. 15

Original release follows:

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