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Report regarding the San Mateo County Office of Community Affairs' strategic plan affirming the County of San Mateo's support of and partnership with the United States Census Bureau in ensuring a complete and accurate count for Census 2020. (Megan Gosh and Aparna Ramakrishnan, Census Coordinators, San Mateo County Community Affairs)
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RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
This is for informational purpose only. It is recommended that the City Council receive the report.
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BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
Census - History and Challenges
As mandated by the United States Constitution (Article 1, Section 2), an "actual Enumeration" of the population living in the United States, citizens or noncitizens alike, is required to be conducted every ten years. The decennial census is the cornerstone of our democracy, ensuring equitable political representation and fair allocation of resources at all levels of government. In addition, census data informs important decisions made across social and business sectors regarding programs, products, and services. Therefore, ensuring an accurate count in the Census 2020 is essential.
There are several challenges facing the upcoming census. Despite declining self-response rates, the Census Bureau will be required to conduct the Census 2020 at a lower cost per household than in 2010. There will be fewer local offices, less field staff, and the primary strategy for data collection will be via internet (raising concerns about access and information security). The projected self-response rate for Census 2020 is 55% (significantly lower than 63.5% in 2010). The costs to the Census Bureau for Census 2020 operations are underfunded by at least 50 percent compared to the levels found necessary by the Government Accountability Office for the last decennial. Due to these issues, the Government Accountability Office has rated the Census 2020 at high risk.
The Census Bureau faces challenges counting certain households and population groups, r...
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