Area Leads the State in Census Response

In the race to be counted, Ventura County residents are leading the way in returning census forms. As of Thursday, the county had the highest return rate among California counties.

Initial response rates show that 58% of local households had returned their census forms, compared with 51% statewide. Nationwide, 49% of residents had sent in their questionnaires.

“We’re very excited,” said Vincent Galvez, office manager for Ventura County’s Census Bureau. “With the help of the local community, we’ve done a lot of outreach.”

Census workers have been conducting a massive outreach effort, targeting farm workers, children and the homeless throughout the county. They hope public awareness about the census will prevent an undercount--here and around the nation.

The U.S. Census Bureau is aiming for a return rate of 70% by late April. But Ventura County is shooting even higher: officials want 81% of residents to mail in their forms by that time. Galvez said the bureau still has work to do to reach its goal.

The lowest return rate within California was in Mono County, where only 21% of residents had mailed in their forms.