Florida is lagging in Census responses, especially Orange County

About 60 percent of Florida households have responded to this year’s U.S. Census, trailing 31 other states in response rates, according to information released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The national response rate was 63.1 percent as of Wednesday, while Florida was at 60.1 percent.

The top states for responses were in the Midwest, with Minnesota at 72.4 percent, Wisconsin at 69.7 percent and Nebraska, Michigan and Iowa at 68.9 percent.

In Florida, the highest response rate has been in Sumter County, at 69.8 percent. It was followed by Seminole County at 68.8 percent, St. Johns County at 68.7 percent, Hernando County at 68.3 percent and Brevard County at 68 percent, according to the Census Bureau.

Orange County had a response rate of 59.8 percent, as of Aug. 5.

The census count is important, in part, because it helps determine how many members of the U.S. House come from each state and is used in distributing federal money. The Census Bureau said it will continue collecting data until Sept. 30.

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This article appears in Aug 5-11, 2020.