Monday, Aug. 31, marks 30 days before the end of the 2020 census. Without a complete census count, New York City is set to potentially lose billions for COVID-19 relief and up to two seats in Congress and the electoral college, which decides the presidency. In Norwood, the response rate was 60.5 percent (census tract 423) as of Aug. 31. The final 2010 response rate for the neighborhood was 63.2 percent, and the target was to beat that response rate in 2020.

NYC Census Director Julie Menin and Executive Assistant Corporation Counsel, NYC Law Department released the following statement on Aug. 31. “Time is running out for New Yorkers to complete the 2020 Census. As of today, we have just 30 days left to be counted because Donald Trump, in an attempt to steal the census and the money and power that it brings, cut the census by a month.”

Information on these challenges, contests and prizes can be found here.

New York City continues to close the gap between the city and the nation in terms of census self-response rates but still has a way to go. As of Aug. 27, New York City’s self-response rate was 57.3 percent, and the nation’s was 64.6 percent. In 2010, there was an approximate 14-point gap between New York City’s census self-response rate and the nation’s. Currently, in 2020, there is less than an eight-point gap. A recent study found that New York City’s self-response rate increased the most out of any other city in the United States between May 4, 2020 and Aug. 18, 2020.

The census is easy, safe, and confidential. It consists of ten simple questions that take less than ten minutes to complete. All New Yorkers can easily self-respond now online at my2020census.gov or by phone at 1-844-330-2020. The census does not ask about immigration, citizenship, criminal history, or income. By law, all census responses are completely confidential and cannot be shared with anyone, including any immigration authorities, tax authorities, any law enforcement authorities, or even landlords. The penalties for breaking this law, Title XIII of the U.S. Code, are up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines. This law has not been broken since it was passed in 1953.

Currently, the U.S. Census Bureau is conducting NRFU (Non-Response Follow-Up). NRFU is when census takers or enumerators visit all the homes that have not yet completed the census. If you do not want a census taker knocking on your door, complete the census online or by phone right away. If you self-respond completely and accurately, it is unlikely that you will get a knock on your door during NRFU.

To check your census tract, type in your address at the top of this map from CUNY.  It will highlight the tract in question with a red borderline and display the prevailing response rate for that census tract on the left hand side of the screen. You can also search on the left hand side of the screen by county or tract to compare how your area is doing versus other areas.

The surrounding Norwood neighborhoods like Bedford Park, Fordham and others are at a similar response level to Norwood, for the most part, meaning they are lagging behind what their final response rates were in 2010. They are also lagging behind other neighborhoods close by, like Spuyten Duyvil, Riverdale and Fieldston. On the map, the brown to yellow colors indicate very poor response rates, the lighter blue fair to medium, and the darker blue high response rates.

Additional Information about the Census Process

• Census enumerators will carry a bag with them with the census logo on it, and they should be wearing ID around their necks. Ask to see their ID.
• They do not have to enter your home. They can wait on the porch / stoop.
• You can still answer the census online even if you do not answer the door to the enumerator.
• Help is available in other languages if needed.
• There are ten questions and it takes less than ten minutes to complete the census.
• You will not be asked for any bank account information.

As reported previously by Norwood News, the New York Public Library is also available to help answer any questions you may have about the census.

About NYC Census 2020

The $40 million program is built on four pillars: (1) a $19 million community-based awards program, The New York City Complete Count Fund, empowering 157 community-based organizations to engage historically undercounted communities around the 2020 Census; (2) an in-house “Get Out the Count” field campaign supported by the smart use of cutting-edge data and organizing technology, and a volunteer organizing program to promote a complete count in each of the city’s 245 neighborhoods; (3) an innovative, multilingual, tailored messaging and marketing campaign, including a $3 million commitment to investing in community and ethnic media to reach every New York City community; as well as (4) an in-depth Agency and Partnerships engagement plan that seeks to leverage the power of the City’s 350,000-strong workforce and the city’s major institutions, including libraries, hospitals, faith-based communities, cultural institutions, higher educational institutions, and more, to communicate with New Yorkers about the critical importance of census participation.

Through close partnerships with trusted leaders and organizations across the five boroughs, this unprecedented campaign represents the largest municipal investment in census organizing nationwide and will build an enduring structure that empowers New Yorkers to remain civically engaged.