The 2020 Census is in full swing, with the biggest change for this decade being the first time people are able to fill out their information online, a method that has become hugely important due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle recently joined 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck and discussed the response to the census in both her town and Orange County as a whole.

According to a tweet from Orange County on April 12, the response rate for the United States was 47.5 percent while North Carolina lagged behind as a state—sitting at 44.6 percent.

Orange County has surpassed the national average, however, with a total of 54.6 percent of residents filling out their census information so far. Carrboro leads the way in that regard with a 57.5 percent response rate, followed by Chapel Hill at 54.4 percent and Hillsborough at 52.5 percent.

Lavelle said she urges people in the community who have already completed their census to encourage friends and family to do the same if they have not already—while also recognizing that many folks have centered their attention on the pandemic for the time being.

“It’s something that, for people who aren’t as plugged into the news as we all are, it’s something they could easily fly by,” Lavelle said. “Or someone could easily have not remembered to do, or not done, in the scurry of what we’re doing these last couple weeks.”

This is important largely because Orange County receives $1,800 in federal and state funding for each person who fills out the census—a number that can add up to several million dollars to help finance a wide variety of services such as agriculture, schools and the health department.

On top of that, the data is also used to put together bus routes for schools and redraw legislative districts for the State House of Representatives and State Senate. Population totals state-wide also determine the number of seats each state gets in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“To underscore its significance, the U.S. Census is only one of two mandated civilian agencies in the constitution,” according to Hillsborough Town Commissioner Matt Hughes. “The other one being the postal service. So that’s how important this is. I encourage everyone to do it. To fill it out. To get it done. And be counted.”

Note: 97.9 The Hill has been Chapel Hill and Orange County’s daily source for free local news since 1953. Please consider making a donation to continue supporting important local journalism like this.

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