Nine Additional States Match or Exceed 2000 Census Mail Participation Rates

Twenty-eight states matched or exceeded 2000 response rate

WASHINGTON, April 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nine additional states have met or exceeded their 2000 Census mail participation rates for the 2010 Census, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today, bringing the total number of states to 28 that reached that milestone. Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico both surpassed their 2000 rates as well.

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The states' achievement comes despite trends over the past decade toward declining survey participation, a more diverse population, a difficult economic environment and a growing distrust of government.

The Census Bureau also announced today that the nation reached a response rate of just more than 72 percent, matching the rate it achieved in the 2000 Census.

The rates for all states, counties, cities, towns and neighborhoods are on the Census Bureau's interactive mail participation rate map at http://2010.census.gov/2010census/take10map/.  

The nine new states to the list include:

• Kansas
• Idaho
• Maryland
• Michigan
• Mississippi
• Nevada
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Texas

They join the following states that met or exceeded their rates earlier:

• Alabama
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Maine
• Minnesota
• New York
• North Carolina
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington

In addition, there are 11 states that came within one point of matching their 2000 Census rates. These include:

• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Connecticut
• Iowa
• Louisiana
• Massachusetts
• Missouri
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• Ohio
• Wisconsin

ABOUT THE 2010 CENSUS

The 2010 Census is a count of everyone living in the United States and is mandated by the U.S. Constitution. Census data are used to apportion congressional seats to states, to distribute more than $400 billion in federal funds to tribal, state and local governments each year and to make decisions about what community services to provide. The 2010 Census form is one of the shortest in U.S. history, consisting of 10 questions, taking about 10 minutes to complete. Strict confidentiality laws protect the respondents and the information they provide.

Editor's note: News releases, reports and data tables are available on the Census Bureau's home page. Go to http://www.census.gov and click on "Releases."

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau