Stratford Mayor Urges 'Critical Nature' Of 2020 Census

STRATFORD, CT — Mayor Laura Hoydick is urging Stratford residents to answer the 2020 U.S. Census.

“Census results help shape the future of our communities, determining how billions of dollars are distributed for schools, health clinics, or disaster recovery,” Hoydick said in a news release. “Nothing drives home the critical nature of how federal aid is allocated more than the current pandemic we are engaged in, and we want to make sure that everyone living in Stratford is counted accurately.”

Earlier this year, with the approval of the Stratford Town Council, Hoydick appointed a Complete Count Committee to promote awareness. The committee is made up of people who live and work in Stratford and are engaged in various facets of the town’s makeup. They have been developing outreach to promote jobs with the U.S. Census and the need for residents to answer the census.

In 2010, Stratford’s census self-response rate was 74.8 percent. As of June 29, the 2020 self-response rate in town was at 69.3 percent — ahead of the state self-reporting rate of 65.2 percent. Hoydick hopes to see the town exceed its 2010 mark, according to the news release.

For the first time in the history of the census, residents can respond three ways: by mail, telephone and online. Mailings from the census to all households began in March. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the response time has been extended. A final report is scheduled to be delivered by the U.S. Census to the president and Congress in December 2020.