Census Response Well Under 2010 Rates

By Benjamin Cox on October 27, 2020 at 12:28pm

The 2020 Census wrapped up at the beginning of the month and final response rates have been tabulated by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Morgan County fell 2 percentage below its response rate from 2010 at 70.9%. 52.6% of respondents answered the census online. The Village of South Jacksonville was the 74th highest municipality to respond in the state, with a response rate of 84.1%. It was the only municipality in the listening area to have a response rate above 80%.

Scott County fell 4 percentage points from its response a decade ago to 68.5%. They matched Morgan County with 52.6% online responses.

Greene County fell 7 percentage points from a decade ago to 61.3%, with just 27.5% response online. Greene County was ranked 95th, as one of the lowest responding counties in the state.

Cass County fell just 2 percentage points from its 2010 response to 68.8%, with 48.5% response online.

The overall state response rate was 71.4%. The southeast portion of the state demontrated the lowest response rates in the state. However, nearby Calhoun County had the 2nd lowest countwide response rate of just 44.8%, only Hardin County was worse at 34.7%.

Based on the current response rates, Illinois will likely lose a congressional seat and possibly a second. The congressional districts will officially be withdrawn next year once population numbers are finalized. Once the redraw is certified between the Democratically-controlled General Assembly and Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the 2022 election will reflect the newly-drawn maps with fewer representatives.