Poor Response to Census Will Hurt Finances

The Town of Clayton stands to lose a substantial amount of federal funding unless a low response rate here for the 2010 census can be turned around.

As of March 29, only 41 percent of the census forms distributed in Clayton had been returned, one of the lowest rates of return in Johnston County.

"The town stands to lose at least $400 in federal funding for each resident that goes uncounted," said Mayor Jody McLeod. "If you do the math, you begin to see the seriousness of the problem. We've done so well financially over the last decade, it would be a shame for something like this to set us back. That's why it's so important for every single resident to be counted."

So far, the response rate in the areas around Clayton, like the Cleveland area and Archer Lodge, are topping 50 percent. The rate is 47 percent in Smithfield. So far, the participation rate across the state is 53 percent. The national rate is about 50 percent.

The deadline for returning census forms is Thursday, April 1. After that, census workers will begin going door-to-door to meet personally with those who haven't responded.

State and federal money to local municipalities is largely based on population figures, and changes after each 10-year census. Other important uses for census date includes:
• determining how many seats the state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives
• guiding officials on community planning, such as where to build new roads, schools and more
• guiding the private sector on where to build new shopping centers, housing and other facilities

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