Earlier this year, every household received a 2020 census form in the mail. Did you fill it out and mail it back or complete it online?
If you did, you are in the minority in Dillon County as not even one half of our residents have completed the census. Only 39.3 percent of the population in Dillon County have responded. In Dillon, 45.9 percent of the population responded compared to 43.5 percent in Latta and 12.4 percent in Lake View. Dillon County ranks 44th out of the 46 counties in South Carolina in response.
Everyone is required by law to complete the census. The form is simple. It asks a few simple questions, takes about 10-15 minutes to complete, and can be done by filling out the paper form or going online to 2020census.gov to respond.
You may not think it matters whether you fill out the census or not, but it does to our community, region, and state. Every household needs to be counted. The census “will help determine how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding flow into communities every year for the next decade,” according to 2020 census.gov. The census data affects funding for so many areas including highway planning construction, funding for Head Start and school lunches, housing, employment and training programs, healthcare programs, and various types of grant funding.
If we want to grow and move forward, it all begins with the census. Do your civic duty. Fill out your census today.