PORT ANGELES — Today’s deadline for filing federal tax returns is on the eve of another federal deadline.
The U.S. Census Bureau says Friday is the last day to mail back a census form to ensure that a census taker won’t come knocking on the door.
That face-to-face interview is less likely for those living on the North Olympic Peninsula than anywhere else in the state, since the two counties have high rates of returning the census forms.
As of Wednesday, Jefferson County was leading the state in census participation.
About 76 percent of Jefferson County households had already returned the 10-question, postage-paid census form.
Clallam County was second among the state’s 39 counties with a 75 percent return.
The state’s return rate by Wednesday was 69 percent.
Door-to-door count
Beginning in May — or late April — census workers will go door-to-door to count every member of every household that has not returned a census form.
“If people want to guarantee that a census taker won’t come to their door, they have to mail it back by Friday,” said Cecilia Sorci, a regional spokeswoman for the U.S. Census Bureau.
“However we do encourage people to still mail it back” even if it is after Friday, she said. “If they do mail it back next week, it just means we can’t guarantee that a census taker won’t come to their door.
“We still urge people to participate because it is important.
“It will not be tossed. It will be counted.”
On April 22, census officials will start planning their national door-to-door campaign, Sorci said.
Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau tries to count every man, woman and child.
Numbers mean money
The federal government uses the constitutionally-mandated head count to distribute more than $400 billion annually to local, state and tribal entities for various programs and services.
Data taken from the census also determines legislative boundaries.
“During these final days of the census, we urge our local citizens once again to complete their census forms,” Port Angeles City Manager Kent Myers said in a prepared statement.
“If completed in the next several days, additional costs will be avoided by eliminating the need for census workers to visit local residences to obtain the required census information,” he said.
“We are hoping that a final push this week will result in a large number of forms being mailed and that our response rate will lead the state.”
The door-to-door count by census-takers costs $57 per household on average. If every household mailed back a form, taxpayers would save an estimated $2 billion.
It will cost about $85 million to count every 1 percent of the population that does not return a form.
Return rates
Port Townsend was leading the four Peninsula cities with a 78-percent return rate, followed closely by Sequim (76 percent), Port Angeles (74 percent) and Forks (67 percent).
The Jamestown S’Klallam tribe was leading the reporting tribes with a 74-percent return rate, followed by the Lower Elwha (43 percent), Hoh (35 percent) and Quileute (26 percent).
So far, the national return rate on the $14 billion census effort is 67 percent.
“We’re thinking that people may take it down to the wire and mail it back” late, Sorci said.
Wisconsin had the highest census return at 77 percent. Minnesota (76 percent), Iowa (75 percent), Indiana (73 percent) and Nebraska (73 percent) rounded out the top five.
In 2000, the census return was 72 percent in Clallam County, Washington state and the nation. Jefferson County’s return rate for the 2000 census was 75 percent.
Those worried that their households might not be counted can phone U.S. Census Bureau workers at 1-866-872-6868. Information can be taken over the phone.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
