Thursday, April 15, 2010

Commercial Appeal discusses Census 2010

With a Friday deadline to return federal census forms fast approaching, local and state officials are urging Mississippians to fill out their forms and mail them if they haven't done so already.

Friday is the last day to return census forms that were mailed to residents across the U.S. in March.

After the deadline, census workers will be sent to addresses from which forms haven't been received to collect the data in person.

Besides the cost of having to send workers -- it's estimated that taxpayers pay $57 per household for census workers to make in-person visits -- Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker, both R-Miss., said a thorough count ensures the state gets proper representation and its fair share of funding.

"The entire state of Mississippi benefits with each census forum returned, and the reverse can also be true," Cochran and Wicker said in a joint statement.

According to the most current figures, 61 percent of Mississippians have returned forms, compared to a national average return rate of 67 percent.

A Census Bureau survey showed that as of Tuesday, 18 of the state's 82 counties had return rates of at least 65 percent.

DeSoto County is keeping pace with the national rate at 67 percent.

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