Census Replies Lagging In Orange, East Orange, Irvington, Newark

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — When residents of Newark, Irvington, Orange and East Orange see a vehicle caravan playing DJ music and displaying a big billboard on Saturday, they should think one thing: Census.

As part of an effort to get people to fill out their census forms, county officials will be holding a “caravan” event on Aug. 1. Taking place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the caravan will kick off at the Essex County Hall of Records in Newark.

It will then pass by several Essex County parks, including Weequahic Park on Elizabeth Avenue, Irvington Park on Lyons Avenue, Ivy Hill Park on Mount Vernon Place, Vailsburg Park on South Orange Avenue, Monte Irvin Orange Park on Central Avenue, Watsessing Park on Glenwood Avenue and Independence Park on Oliver Street.

The caravan will include a digital message board to provide information about the census and where to complete it, a float that will have a DJ playing music and a mobile billboard. Meanwhile, census representatives will engage pedestrians and caravan watchers, sharing information about the effort, encouraging people to complete their questionnaire and handing out free giveaways.

The U.S. Census counts every resident in the United States. It's mandated by Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution and takes place every 10 years.

The self-response rate in Essex County is currently at 57 percent compared to 64.5 percent for the state.

There are many reasons why it’s important for local residents to take the census, officials say. Here are a few:

“Information gathered from the census helps direct hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding each year. These funds pay for important programs such as Medicaid, Section 8 Housing, school lunch programs, road repairs, healthcare, and so much more. Census results also determine how many seats in Congress each state gets. That is why local governments, nonprofits and businesses have partnered with the U.S. Census Bureau to boost self-response rates.”

“Being counted in the census is important because the federal money we receive for schools, roads, hospitals and other programs is based on population numbers,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said.

“Completing your census questionnaire ensures you are counted and we are receiving the federal support we deserve,” DiVincenzo said.

Want to self-respond to the 2020 census? It can be completed online here. It can also be completed via phone or mail (learn more here).

Due to the coronavirus crisis, people have until Oct. 31 to self-respond this year.

According to the U.S. Census database, as of Thursday, here are the self-response rates for Newark, Irvington, Orange and East Orange:

• Newark – 45.3% (population: 282,011)
• East Orange – 47.7% (population: 64,367)
• Irvington – 42.4% (population: 54,312)
• Orange – 47.6% (population: 30,551)

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