By now, most households in Ponca City should have received at least one invitation to respond to the 2020 Census. Responding to the census is important, because it helps determine funding for key public services in our community such as schools, hospitals and healthcare, roads, and bridges, as well as emergency and disaster response.

When you respond to the Census, your answers are kept anonymous. They are used only to produce statistics.

The U.S. Census Bureau is bound by law to protect your answers and keep them strictly confidential. The law ensures that your private information is never published and that your answers cannot be used against you by any government agency or court.

The U.S. Census Bureau continues to carefully monitor the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and follow the guidance of federal, state, and local health authorities.

They are adjusting operations with two key principles in mind: protecting the health and safety of Census staff and the public, and fulfilling their statutory requirement to deliver the 2020 Census counts to the President on schedule.

Below is the timeline of Census Bureau activities for the period of April 1 thru the conclusion of all activities on or about July 31, 2020:

March 26 - April 3: Reminder postcards will be delivered to households that have not responded.

April 8 - 16: Reminder letters and paper questionnaires will be delivered to remaining households that have not responded.

April 20 - 27: Final reminder postcards will be delivered to households that have not yet responded.

May 13 - July 31. If a household does not respond to any of the invitations, a census taker will follow up in person.

In light of the COVID-19 situation, the response rate thus far has been low nationwide compared to 2010. The current 2020 response rates are as follows: National Response Rate, 26.2%; Oklahoma Response Rate, 23.7%; Kay County Response Rate, 29.3%; and Ponca City Response Rate 30.8%