When comparing self-response rates from the last census in 2010 to numbers so far in this year's census, Lamar County officials noticed the current numbers – as of May 13 – lagging a little behind.
Normally, the U.S. Census Bureau would be out in the field to find community leaders to help bolster those rates, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lamar County Board of Supervisors was asked to identify low-response communities and get the word out. To that end, officials have put together a map that breaks down the county into several regions with self-response percentages.
"Anything above 50 (percent) at this moment is okay; below 50 needs some special attention to find out (why)," Lamar County Administrator Jody Waits said. "If you've received your survey, please go online or call and get your survey. Self-response rates in at least a couple of areas are down."
Some of those spots include the Lumberton and Purvis areas, which currently stand at approximately 47 percent, and the area along North 40th Avenue north to Plantation Place, which is at 35.6 percent. The area around Turtle Creek Mall has also seen a slow start, with 48.8 percent south of the mall, 49.4 percent to the north of the mall, and 46.5 percent to the east.
Better numbers include 73.5 percent just south of U.S 98 past 98 Place Boulevard and 67.8 in the major western part of the county.
"The importance of this is, we currently get federal dollars allocated to us based on our 2010 census, which has us in the mid-50,000 (population range)," Waits said. "But our population's probably in the mid-60,000s or higher.
"And certainly in the recovery of the pandemic, as dollars come in, it's going to be based on population. If we're under-counted, then funding would be less to us than we would need to move forward."
