Colorado’s 2020 Census Self-Response Rates by Congressional District

This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.

The 2020 Census will determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives. Are you curious about what percentage of households in Colorado’s seven Congressional Districts have self-responded so far? Check out this MAP.

2020 Census Self-Response Rates by Colorado Congressional District

7th Congressional District: 64.7%  (Rep. Ed Perlmutter)

6th Congressional District: 64.5% (Rep. Jason Crow)

4th Congressional District: 58.7% (Rep. Ken Buck)

5th Congressional District: 58.4% (Rep. Doug Lamborn)

1st Congressional District: 58.3% (Rep. Diana DeGette)

2nd Congressional District: 54% (Rep. Joe Neguse)

3rd Congressional District: 44.7% (Rep. Scott Tipton)

Colorado is ahead of most of the country. To date, 57.2% of Colorado households have self-responded to the 2020 Census. The national self-response rate is 53.2%. The Colorado county with the highest self-response rate is Douglas County, at 69.2%, which is in the 4th Congressional District. 

It’s important to note that some households in remote or rural parts of Colorado have not received an invitation or questionnaire in the mail. Here’s the reason why: 

• For a small percentage of households, the U.S. Census Bureau plans to have census takers drop off invitations in person - or count residents in person. Less than 5% of households in America will receive their census invitation and a paper questionnaire when a census taker drops it off. In these areas, a majority of households may not receive mail at their home’s physical location (like households that use P.O. boxes or rural route numbers). 

• Coloradans who use P.O. boxes (and do not have city-style addresses) should expect to receive a census letter (invitation) and paper questionnaire later this year  - as soon as it is safe for the U.S. Census Bureau to deliver them. 
  • The U.S. Census Bureau classifies a city-style address as an address that has a house number and street name.
• Less than 1% of households will be counted in person by a census taker, instead of being invited to respond on their own. We do this in very remote areas. (This is separate from our follow-up efforts where census takers visit all households that were invited to respond on their own and haven’t). 

Please WAIT to respond to the 2020 Census ONLY *IF* you meet ALL the following criteria:

• You have not received a census letter or paper questionnaire in the mail
• You live in a rural area
• You do *not* have a city-style address

The U.S. Census Bureau plans to deliver a census invitation and paper questionnaire later this year - as soon as it is safe to do so. By responding with your Census ID or on the paper questionnaire, we’ll be able to get the best count of your community. 

ABOUT THE 2020 CENSUS

• The 2020 Census is a short questionnaire that asks about who lives in your household as of April 1, 2020. 
• The 2020 Census requires counting a diverse and growing population in the United States and the five U.S. territories.
• The 2020 Census is important because it will determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives, inform hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding, and provide data that will impact communities for the next decade.
• Responding to the 2020 Census is safe and secure. Individual responses are confidential and protected by law.
• The Census Bureau is currently taking steps to reactivate field data collection operations in June 2020.
• Later this year, the U.S. Census Bureau plans to send census takers to visit households that have not responded to the 2020 Census to help them complete questionnaires. 
• The current deadline to respond to the 2020 Census is October 31, 2020.
• It has never been easier torespond to the 2020 Census on your own, whether online, by phone, or by mail - all without having to meet a census taker.