Census advocates warn of incomplete count in Minnesota

Sep 01, 20200

Jerry Holt – Star Tribune count

Abdirizak Bihi, a community member, spoke Monday about his concerns that everyone be counted by the Sept. 30 census deadline, at the Brian Coyle Neighborhood Center in Minneapolis. Census advocates, including the state demographer, discussed their concerns that the Census Bureau is wrapping up field operations too quickly in Hennepin County.

Minnesota's participation ranking in the 2020 census has slipped from 1st in the nation to 11th because of a lack of follow-up that threatens to leave thousands of the state's residents uncounted, according to local officials and advocates.

The 2020 census ends in just one month, and field workers are searching for the 12% of Minnesota households who haven't filled out their form. Despite Minnesota's top self-response rate - the number of people who completed the census themselves - the percentage of households counted lags other states because field workers have reached a smaller share of households that haven't responded.

At a news conference Monday, local and state leaders joined census advocates to raise questions about the "nonresponse followup" process in Minnesota - particularly in Hennepin County - which began in August. It was held in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, an area dominated by Somali immigrants with some of the lowest self-response rates in Minneapolis.

https://www.startribune.com/census-advocates-warn-of-incomplete-count-in-minnesota/572276492/