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The self-response rate last week in the 2020 Census was 43.2% of households in Tyrrell County and 28.2% for Columbia residents, the Census Bureau’s website shows.

Across North Carolina 58.2% of householders have supplied the requested census data, a large portion of them using the Internet. In Tyrrell County the self-response rate last week via Internet was 17.2%.

The national self-response rate was 62%.

For households that do not respond this month, Census Bureau workers will begin knocking on doors August 11 and continue person-to-person contacts through the end of October.

Census results shape the future of communities, as census data informs how billions of dollars in federal funds are distributed for health clinics, school lunch programs, disaster recovery initiatives, and other critical programs and services for the next 10 years.

The original and most important purpose of the census is to determine how the 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives are apportioned among the 50 states.

(Each state has two senators, and that number is not affected by the census).

The Census Bureau is challenging everyone to help ensure a complete and accurate count in 2020.

“Share information on your social media channels about the census and why it’s important to respond,” said Derek  D’Orazio, Partnership Specialist. “2020 Census partners and stakeholders, media members, government officials, and others can all play a role in ensuring that everyone is counted once, only once, and in the right place.”