Deadline extended for 2020 census

The response deadline for the 2020 Census changed again Monday evening to Oct. 5.

Originally, the deadline was Sept. 3 for all census questionnaires to be filled out.

However, because of limitations with COVID-19, the deadline was extended.

According to an announcement from the Census Bureau, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said, the self-response period will end Oct. 5, instead of Sept. 30, along with “field data collection operations.”

An injunction filed by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh suspended the Sept. 30 deadline, which reverted it back to a previous time line when it would have ended on Oct. 31 if Ross hadn’t set a different date.

The federal government is appealing the injunction, according to USA Today.

By law, a report needs to be filed with the president’s office by Dec. 31.

Missouri has a slightly higher response rate than the country’s 98.4%, according to Census data.

Including both self-response and door-to-door initiative, Missouri is at 99.1% reporting.

However, many Southeast Missouri counties are reporting lower self-response rates than the state as a whole. Door-to-door initiative numbers are not available at the county level.

Self-response rates:

Missouri — 65.5%

Butler County — 58%

Ripley County — 35.8%

Carter County — 29.9%

Wayne County — 33%

Stoddard County — 63%

Dunklin County — 55.6%

Reynolds County — 35%

Butler County Emergency Management Agency Director Robbie Myers, who is also on the state Complete Counts Committee, said he hopes the community uses the extra time to “push our count up.”

People can still return their mail-in census form, fill it out online at my2020census.gov, call the toll free number 844-330-2020 or respond through the census takers as long as the reporting period lasts.