Brooklyn Trails Other Boroughs In 2020 U.S. Census Response: Data

BROOKLYN, NY — Officials are urging Brooklynites to complete the 2020 U.S. Census as the borough trails the rest of New York City in filling out the essential form.

Only 51.4 percent of households in Kings County had filled out the Census as of Thursday, compared to 58.3 percent of households across New York State and nearly 63 percent nationally, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brooklyn response rate was the lowest of New York City's five boroughs.

More than 54 percent of households in Queens, nearly 56 percent of households in Manhattan, and the Bronx, and 59 percent of households in Staten Island's Richmond County had filled out their forms as of Thursday.

The numbers were even lower in certain parts of Brooklyn, including areas of Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights, where response rates hovered around 40 percent.

A low response rate is bad news for Brooklyn: The census, which happens every 10 years, determines the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives and how to spend hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding for schools, roads and bridges, public transportation, hospitals and other critical services.

The city's health department and emergency management officials also rely on census data to prepare for and respond to emergencies, like pandemics.

Local elected officials are joining the Census Bureau this week in various events to push New Yorkers to #GetCounted.

In Brooklyn, that includes a "Census March For Racial Justice" urging a full Census count planned for Sunday, Aug. 2. Response rates have been particularly low in minority-dominated neighborhoods, according to the Census Bureau.

Aug. 2 will also mark the end of the U.S. Census Bureau's Census PUSH Week, a competition between the five boroughs to increase their response rates by the highest percentage, while New York City competes with other major cities in the tri-state area.

Winners of the Census PUSH Week competition will be announced Aug. 4.

New Yorkers can fill out the census online at 2020census.gov or over the phone by calling 844-330-2020. Click here for more information on the 2020 U.S. Census and why it matters.

Patch reporter Maya Kaufman contributed to this report.