Adams U.S. Census Ends with an Estimated 99.9 Percent Completion Rate

The 2020 U.S. Census Complete Count Committee (CCC), made up of Leon Reed, Michele Garnes and Lili Peña from SCCAP; Sarah Weigle and Carly Marshall from Adams County, Yeimi Gagliardi from Wellspan Community Health, Census partnership liaison Francine Stephens, as well as many other county residents, has finished their work and the 2020 U.S. Census in Adams Count is complete.

Despite difficulties caused by the pandemic and fears and suspicions among the immigrant community about the Census, it is estimated that almost 100 percent of the people in the county were contacted. This is beneficial to all residents of the county, because it ensures that Adams will get its fair share of representation and resources.

“With few exceptions, people who didn’t get counted didn’t want to get counted,” said the report delivered to the Adams County Commissioners today.

census
The Complete Count Committee

Reed said return rate was so high because the information awareness campaign was successful and as the result of improved technology at all levels, including the ability to map and identify constituencies down to the zip code and census tract level, the ability of internet marketers to segment their message to specific demographics, and the simple online response method used by the Census.

The original plan of the CCC was to recruit people through person to person contacts such as public libraries, schools and churches, family events, and volunteer tax preparers, but the onset of the pandemic required changes in the face-to-face plans.

The revised plan focused more on liaison and media. Efforts undertaken by the CCC included panel discussions, announcements, and ads in Spanish and English in many local media outlets.

Hard-to-count (HTC) populations identified by the committee included immigrants, homeless individuals and families, people lacking access to the Internet, single parent families, the elderly, and college students.

The committee also tracked geographic areas and political jurisdictions where the count was lagging, especially in the boroughs of Gettysburg, Arendtsville, and York Springs.

The committee created a Facebook page that received more than 20,000 engagements.

The committee also presented at the 2019 Giving Spree, the Adams County Extension Service Fruit School, and the VIDA charter school, spoke with borough and township councils, and shared information at area churches, businesses, schools, and food pantries.

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