ARKANSAS (KNWA/KFTA) — The 2020 U.S. Census Bureau count ends Thursday, October 15, due to a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court — the original Census Bureau plan was for ending field operations on October 31.
The original deadline was August but the dates have changed due to legal battles and the pandemic.
The Census Bureau on Tuesday, October 13, said in a statement, “as of today, well over 99.9% of housing units have been accounted for in the 2020 Census.”
Critics of the high court’s decision claim groups who live in urban areas, or immigrant populations, will be undercounted. In Arkansas that would mean Hispanics and Marshallese.
The Marshallese community is doing its best to make sure they’re counted, according to the Arkansas Coalition of Marshallese. Initially, the organization thought the deadline was the end of October but now they’re making calls and going on social media to get the word out.
An estimated 15,000 Marshallese live in Arkansas and most reside in Washington County, according to the Marshallese Resource and Educational Center.
As of October 12, Arkansas has a 99.9 percentage of housing units response rate, and of that number 60.5% self-responded — via online, by phone, or mail.
You can still be counted through October 15, 2020, until 11:59 p.m. Visit 2020Census.gov to respond online.
Here are the numbers to call if you still need to complete the survey.
- English (for 50 states and Washington, D.C.): 844-330-2020
- Spanish (for 50 states and Washington, D.C.): 844-468-2020
- TDD (Telephone Display Device): 844-467-2020
- Visit Language Support to learn more.
