Florida TaxWatch has released a report titled "2020 Census: How Florida Counties Compare," analyzing the participation of each of Florida's 67 counties in the 2020 Census. The release coincides with National Census Day on April 1 and aims to encourage preparation for the upcoming 2030 Census.
Jeff Kottkamp, Executive Vice President & General Counsel and Acting President & CEO of Florida TaxWatch, emphasized the importance of census participation. He stated, “Submitting a decennial census survey is an important civic duty. The population insights the census survey provides help inform the work of Florida’s businesses, community leaders, and policymakers, while also ensuring our state – the fastest growing in the nation – receives its fair share of both federal representation and funding."
The report highlights that Florida has experienced significant undercounts in past censuses. In 2000, an undercount of 200,000 people resulted in a $4 billion loss in federal funds. This issue worsened in 2020 with an undercount reaching 750,000 people, which could cost between $11 billion and $21 billion by decade's end.
In terms of self-response rates during the 2020 Census, Florida recorded a rate of 62.9 percent across all addresses, below the national average of 65.2 percent. Seminole (72 percent), Sumter (71 percent), and St. Johns (70.7 percent) counties had some of the highest self-response rates within the state. Conversely, Dixie (30.5 percent), Liberty (31.4 percent), and Franklin (33.4 percent) counties were among those with lower response rates.
Florida TaxWatch provided recommendations for county stakeholders to improve their performance as preparations begin for the next census count.
For further details on this analysis or other related work by Florida TaxWatch and its Census Institute initiatives, interested parties are encouraged to visit their website.
Florida TaxWatch is known as an independent watchdog organization dedicated to enhancing government accountability and productivity since its inception over four decades ago.