The 2020 Census ends Sept. 30, a month earlier than planned. So if you haven’t yet filled out your 2020 Census form, completing it could bring in some easy money for our community. Look no further than my2020census.gov.
Filling out your 2020 Census form is a civic duty. Each person on the census is the key to roughly $2,300 annually that flows from the federal level into the state and supports local programs as well.
Chaffee County’s municipalities aren’t as enthusiastic about the Census as they were 10 years ago, and its residents have just until Sept. 30 to bump up their numbers. And yes, it can be confusing. July 31 was the original deadline for people to complete their forms, then the deadline got pushed back to Oct. 31. Now it’s Sept. 30 to allow time for the data to be processed, according to U.S. Census Coordinator April Obholz Bergeler.
As of Aug. 27, Chaffee County stands at 56.4 percent participation. Buena Vista is at 55.8, Salida at 65.2 and Poncha Springs at 53.1.
Looking back at the self-responding Census participation numbers for 2010, the response were higher. Buena Vista was at 70 percent, Salida at 70.7 and Poncha at 63.8.
Bergeler says it takes about seven minutes to fill out the online form for a family, and about five minutes for a single person. “In five to seven minutes you can raise $2300 – times 10 [years],” she says. “It’s the easiest money you’ll probably ever make, and the most.”
She notes that because the Census comes around just once in 10 years, it’s critically important that people respond. Census dollars support healthcare and education, and programs such as those helping survivors of domestic abuse. “It’s far-reaching for lifestyle as well,” she notes, citing things like bike paths and pedestrian trails that receive funding.
Monday, Aug. 31 marks the completion of a weeklong town census response competition in Chaffee County. The town with the most responses receives three $100 gift cards to local grocery stores, and administrators will pull the names of winners, to be announced within a week.
To submit your entry, complete your form at my2020census.gov. Grab a screenshot of your submission confirmation page or print it out. Further instructions are at https://cityofsalida.com/2020/08/town-competition-among-buena-vista-poncha-springs-and-salida
Featured image: Drew, a resident of Buena Vista, gives the thumbs-up after completing his 2020 Census form at Natural Grocers in Salida. Tara Flanagan photo
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