Coffee County remains among the top county’s in the state of Tennessee when it comes to percentage of population self-responding to the United States Census.
As of Monday, April 6, Coffee County has a 52.4% response rate to the Census – that’s the fourth best rate in the entire state. Since the Census began taking responses on March 12, Coffee County has consistently been in the top five in the state for self-response rate. Currently, Williamson County’s 56 percent self-response leads the state.
Out of Tennessee’s 95 counties, only six have reached the 51 percent response rate.
“We need all of our citizens to take time and fill in their Census – whether they do that online, over the phone or through the mail,” explained Manchester Mayor Lonnie Norman. “We want to have the best self-response rate in the State, that should be our goal here. There are a lot of federal dollars attached to Census data. I’m glad to see our citizens our off to a very good start.”
Self-response is the rate at which county’s respond without having an enumerator (or a door knocker) come to visit. Enumerators aren’t scheduled to start until May – meaning if you have already completed your Census, you will not be visited by an enumerator. Coffee County’s self response rate for the last Census – 2010 – was 70%. Obviously the goal is to blow past that number.
Everyone is encouraged to respond to the Census online if they have internet access. You can respond online by clicking here – responding takes mere minutes and you only need your street address to get started. Without internet access, respondents should pay close attention to their mailboxes and respond to the paper questionnaire or call the phone number provided. To respond by phone, you can call 1-800-354-7271.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about $675 billion in federal money will be distributed based on the census data compiled, meaning ensuring a complete count in Coffee County is a top priority for local officials. One separate study shows that for every person that goes uncounted in the Census, Coffee County will miss out on about $11,000 in federal money allocation over the next 10 years.
Complete your Census here
Completing your Census takes minutes. Get started right here
