Be Visible About Responding to the Census in a Safe Way
Montana's self-response rate to the 2020 Census stands just above 56 percent, compared to the national average of 62.3 percent. Each newsletter we are featuring an idea you can use to help increase Montana's self-response rate to the Census.
The latest idea is to be visible in your community about responding to the Census in a safe way. Recently, Anaconda’s lead Complete Count Committee, Accelerate Anaconda, scheduled times for members to volunteer at two grocery stores and at the senior citizen center. Volunteers practiced safe social distancing, wore PPE, and sanitized the laptop they made available for people to fill out the census online. Through this effort, 30 residents were added to the area Census count – which means better information about the community and, at an estimated $20,000 per person, more in federal funding over the next decade for Anaconda.
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CENSUS STORY OF THE WEEK
Have You Gotten Your Census Packet?
The U.S. Census Bureau announced it will be ending Update/Leave operations in just over two weeks – on August 7, 2020. Update/Leave is when federal census workers go door-to-door and leave informational packets that include a 2020 Census form and a 12-digit response ID. In Montana, all of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation and areas of the Crow Reservation still haven’t received Census packets. There are also spots across the state where folks have called the Department of Commerce indicating they haven’t received a packet.
Please reach out to your social networks and ask if folks in your community have gotten Census materials. Anyone who has not gotten a Census form can contact a U.S. Census Partnership Specialist here in Montana. Contact information for the federal Partnership Specialists is at the end of this newsletter.
It’s also important to remember that you don’t need to receive a census packet to respond to the 2020 Census. You can go online at MY2020CENSUS.GOV or call 1-844-330-2020 and respond today. With more than 40 percent of households still to count, it is critical everyone in Montana has a chance to respond.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Montana's First Census Compared to Now
 The first Census in Montana occurred in 1870, when Montana was still a territory and had only 11 counties – Beaverhead, Big Horn, Chouteau, Dawson, Deer Lodge, Gallatin, Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, Madison, Meagher and Missoula. Montana's territorial population was recorded at 20,595 people. Compare that to Montana's 2010 Census, when the state's population was recorded at 989,415. It is expected the state’s 2020 population will be over 1,075,000. In 1870, the towns of Argenta, Beartown, Blackfoot, Cable City, Noble, and Pioneer all had populations over 200 – none of these towns are designated in the current Census Geography.
Without an accurate Census count, Montana risks having other states get some of our state's fair share of funding. Missing only one resident means that a community misses up to $20,000 over the next decade. Overall, more than $2 billion from 300 federal programs is allocated back to Montana based on Census information. That includes more than $500,000 annually in funding for highways, water and wastewater, housing and other infrastructure programs.
IN THE NEWS
U.S. Census Bureau hiring in Montana – VALLEY JOURNAL
IMPORTANT DATES
These events are current but are subject to change as the U.S. Census Bureau revises its operations in response to COVID-19. Check with event organizers regarding local events and go to 2020CENSUS.GOV for the latest U.S. Census Bureau operations updates.
March 12 – Oct. 31: Self-response Phase
April 2 – Sept. 3: Group Quarters Counting (e-response and paper)
May 4: Update/Leave Operations Resumed in Montana and other select states
July 1 – Sept. 3: In-person Group Quarters Counting
August 7: Update/Leave Operations End
Aug. 11 – Oct. 31: Non-response Follow-up
Sept. 3 – 28: Counting at Transitory Locations such as RV parks, campgrounds, and hotels if people do not usually live elsewhere
Sept. 22 – 24: Operations to count those experiencing homeless outdoors and at service-based locations
April 30, 2021 (Proposed): Deliver Census Count to the President
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HELPFUL RESOURCES
Montana Customized Census 2020 Resources
U.S. Census Bureau YouTube Channel
U.S. Census Bureau Outreach Materials
U.S. Census Bureau PSA Toolkit
HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT 2020 CENSUS OPERATIONS AND ENUMERATION?
To be routed to your local U.S. Census Bureau office, call
855-562-2020,select option 3, and enter your zip code.
Reach out to a Montana Census 2020 Partnership Specialist:
Jeri Bucy
Montana Partnership Specialist
U.S. Census Bureau
Email: jeri.bucy@2020census.gov
Phone: (406) 302-2227
Jihan Khalaf
Montana Partnership Specialist
U.S. Census Bureau
Email: Jihan.k.khalaf@2020census.gov
Phone: 406-439-3383
Colleen M. McCarthy
Montana Partnership Specialist U.S. Census Bureau
Email: Colleen.M.McCarthy@2020census.gov
Phone: (406) 302-2226
Laurie Cipriano
Public Information Officer
Email: laurie.a.cipriano@2020census.gov
Phone: (720) 891- 2497 (Colorado)
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