Brooklyn Lags Behind On Census Count During Coronavirus

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — A third of all Brooklynites have so far filled out their 2020 U.S. Census forms.

That's good news for advocates who want to surpass the borough's dismal response rate last census, but arguably not-so-good for a populace with a lot of time to kill amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Kings County's response rate tallied at 33 percent as of Monday, falling behind New York City's 35 percent and the state's 40 percent, according to census data.

Local officials and advocates have made a push this year to increase Brooklyn's response rate. A state study found 80 percent of Brooklyn lives in one of the state's hardest to count census tracts.

There were early signs Brooklyn was outpacing its performance last census. But it remains to be seen if Brooklyn can do better than 2010, when 33 percent of its residents didn't mail back their Census forms — the lowest rate in the country for places its size.

Filling out Census forms can be done in 10 minutes online and ensures proper representation and funding for Brooklyn, which likely will be important if the borough is to recover from the coronavirus.

The Census can be filled out here.