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AP20:074

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 17, 2020
CONTACT:
SOS Press Office
(916) 653-6575

Secretary of State Alex Padilla Launches Census Challenge for Final Push of Statewide Count

SACRAMENTO, CA – Secretary of State Alex Padilla is launching the 2020 Census Challenge. To date, California ranks 22nd in the nation with a 65.1% response rate. The California Census Challenge aims to target and fill the gaps in Census outreach, especially in hard-to-count communities, by having cities and counties with similar population sizes compete for the highest and most improved census response rates.

The Census is not just critically important, it’s now critically urgent with less than 50 days left to get a complete count,” Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. “The Census Challenge may be friendly, but the stakes could not be more serious. An undercount would have devastating repercussions on our federal funding and political representation for the next decade. The COVID-19 Pandemic has put a spotlight on how important it is for all California communities to receive our fair share of resources and have our voices heard in Washington. We need all 482 cities and all 58 counties to get a complete count by September 30, 2020.”

The Census Challenge encourages partners to enhance their current census plans and materials by utilizing social media platforms to share census information related to key deadlines and dates. In order to inspire friendly competition, the Secretary of State's office will be sharing the data on one page so that California knows where we stand on our response rates at a city, county, and national level.

The Secretary of State’s office is also providing an outreach toolkit to promote census participation during this final stretch.

2020 Census Response rates as of August 13

TOP 5 CA COUNTIES:

  1. San Mateo 74.9%
  2. Contra Costa 73.2%  
  3. Santa Clara 73.1% 
  4. Marin 72.9%
  5. Ventura 72.7%

TOP 5 CA CITIES:

  1. Piedmont 88%
  2. Clayton 86.8%
  3. Saratoga 84.7%  
  4. Moraga 84.5%
  5. Los Altos 84.2%

BOTTOM 5 CA COUNTIES:

  1. Mono 20.5%
  2. Alpine 25.1%
  3. Trinity 28.1%
  4. Plumas 37%
  5. Sierra 40.5%

BOTTOM 5 CA CITIES:

  1. Paradise 12%
  2. Mammoth Lakes 14.7%
  3. Big Bear Lake 16%
  4. Carmel-by-the-Sea 27.1%
  5. Avalon 27.3%

For more information, visit CensusChallenge.sos.ca.gov.

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