Graham census response allegedly lowest rate in state
On paper, it appears that Graham County has North Carolina’s lowest response rate for the 2020 U.S. Census.
A self-response rate chart released May 2 indicated that only 19.8 percent of Graham residents have completed the decennial survey, putting the county dead last in the state. Union County is the highest, boasting a 63.5 percent response-rate.
But not so fast.
Graham County Economic Development Director Sophia Paulos provided The Graham Star with a 101-page study – completed in July 2019, in partnership with the Southwestern Commission – that was quick to refute any lingering worries over Graham’s response rate.
Page 10 of the report states, “With respect to select pertinent housing criteria, the 2013-17 America Community Survey reports that, for example, 55.0 percent of all housing units in Graham County were occupied.”
The study goes on to crunch the numbers further, pointing out that of the 45 percent reported as “vacant,” 1.8 percent were rented/sold and 67 percent were recorded as seasonal “second homes.”
To put it in layman’s terms, once part-time residents return to the county for the winter, the response numbers will spike and could even see Graham leapfrog into the top 20 in the state.
“The U.S. Census takes into account every single house,” Paulos said. “In places like Graham County – which are destinations people seek to be in – we have a lot of secondary homes and a lot of family homes. Somebody could have grown up here and then moved to Raleigh or Charlotte, but come back and take care of their home place.
“Even though those folks are not residents of Graham County, that house that they stay in when they’re here is being counted as a house.”
The importance of responding has not wavered since the Census was first conducted in 1790. But for the longest time, the census has carried a negative stigma, particularly in rural areas.
“The census is so important that they want to make absolutely sure that no one is missed,” Paulos said. “I think the most important thing is that they are not required to give any personal information that would identify them. It’s merely a headcount.
“One of the things they ask is the age of those living in your house. That’s really important, because in Graham County we have a much-higher percentage of people over age 60.
“When it comes to allocating federal money for things like our transit system – which many of our seniors use – the money and the funding for that depends on the number of people in that age bracket in Graham County. When it comes to our seniors, our veterans and our children, it’s very important that they are counted.”
The benefits of responding greatly outweigh simply ignoring the survey. Federal funds are distributed each year based on a county’s response rate for schools, hospitals, public works and roads. The census also configures how many U.S. House Representatives will be allotted for each state over the next decade.
“We happen to be very unique in that we’re very blessed, and because of that the data is skewed,” Paulos said. “But when you account for that 45 percent of homes that are not occupied by full-time residents, it demonstrates that Graham County citizens are doing really, really well with responding.
“They want to be counted and they’re making sure that they’re doing what they can to see to it that they have fair representation in Congress, and that their schools are getting the money they should for the number of kids they have.”
Since the first wave of responses should have reached every citizen, anyone who has not responded will be receiving a visit of sorts. No personal interaction will be required, as census workers will simply walk up to the front door and place a hanger-packet.
Responses can then be made by mail, phone or online. The system is simple: respond and no follow-up will be required.
Census takers will visit homes through Friday, Aug. 14, before delivering apportionment counts to the president and Congress in December. Redistricting counts will be sent to states beginning in March 2021.