GREAT FALLS — The 2020 Census could prove to be an especially important one for Montana, as the Treasure State is on the cusp of expanding its representation in Congress.
The COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench into the Census Bureau’s operations the last few months, but there’s optimistic news this week.
After previously holding out hope for a return in early June, the U.S. Census Bureau announced Monday that some states will resume limited operations this week.
Montana will be one of 13 states resuming update/leave operations, which is where census workers visit addresses to leave packets that contain information to help residents respond.
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Update/leave is especially important for Montana’s rural areas and tribal nations. According to the bureau, more than 100,000 homes in Montana haven’t gotten their packet yet.
Despite that, the Treasure State’s self-response rate is now at 48%, up from 43% about two weeks ago.
People who have received packets can use that information to respond to the census online, by-phone, or mailing in the questionnaire.
Click here to visit the Census Montana website.
