After being delayed several months by the pandemic, work on the Census will resume. Starting soon, postcard reminders will be mailed to everyone who hasn't responded yet, and Census enumerators will begin going door to door in August.
Davenport Third Ward Alderwoman Marion Meginnis, Chair of the Davenport Complete County Committee says the Census matters because it determines how billions of federal dollars will be spent.
"Every child that is not counted, it's almost $2,000 a year for children that are lost. So every child that isn't counted, when you start to add up a few children over ten years, and these numbers count for ten years."
Meginnis says in some parts of Davenport, the response rate is as high as 80% so far. But in other neighborhoods, it's 40% or lower.
"These tend to be located in the core area of Davenport, correspond to higher rates of poverty, rental property versus home ownership, and minority populations."
A number of organizations are helping promote the Census in the Quad Cities by distributing leaflets, posters, and doorhangers. These organizations include churches, foodbanks, and LULAC, League of United Latin American Citizens.
Meginnis says people without internet access are encouraged to use computers at local libraries to respond to the Census.
