Census needed for funding

By Lynsi Musselman

With a few days until the Oct. 5 deadline, Census Bureau representatives are trying to wrap up their nationwide count of every resident in the United States.

As of the end of September, the count for Shackelford County is only showing a 45.5 percent response rate, which is a 9.8 percent decrease from the 2010 count.

Texas Midwest Community Network, based in Abilene, is an organization that helps support 32 rural communities in the Big Country. The main mission of TMCN is to keep counties such as Shackelford County economically viable and well represented.

TMCN executive director Kathy Keane explained that only 17 percent of the population in Texas lives west of Interstate 35, and that number is getting smaller.

“If residents do not respond to the census, our area will not be properly counted,” Keane said. “Our population count impacts how many state representatives we get, and I have already been told we will lose one for the upcoming redistricting cycle.”

Keane added that not only will counties in this area not be represented, but communities will also lose thousands of dollars of funding.

“Not receiving proper funding for a county makes it impossible for that community to stay competitive with other areas,” Keane added.

Not just Shackelford County and the Big Country are showing low response rates, but the entire state of Texas is down five percent from 2010.

Keane said it is not too late to respond.

Households or individuals can visit 2020census.gov or call 844-330-2020.