Census 2020, the once-a-decade snapshot of the United States, is falling short in Biloxi, and city leaders are asking for help.
“Right now, 58 percent of the people in Biloxi have responded, and we need to do better,” Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich said. “At least 42 percent of the people in Biloxi who were mailed postcards have not responded, and, to be honest, there could be even more people living in Biloxi than that.
“It’s critical that we get an accurate count.”
The Census Bureau reports that the least responsive areas in Biloxi are in East Biloxi, Point Cadet, along Back Bay, and from DeBuys Road to Beauvoir.
“It’s such a simple thing,” Gilich said. “All you need is your address to get started. It’s essentially 10 questions and you can do it typically in less than 10 minutes. They don’t get into your income, your taxes or your Social Security number or anything else, and nothing in the census can be used against you.”
Individual census responses, which are kept confidential by federal law, are used to produce statistics about how many people live in what areas and who they are by age, sex, race and ethnicity.
When those statistics are combined with other data, federal, state and local policymakers are better armed to make decisions about how to allocate billions of dollars in federal funds for critical public services such as hospitals, schools, road repairs and emergency response services for the next 10 years.
If those households do not respond, local and state governments over the next 10 years could lose hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds that are allocated based on the census.
Here’s how to respond:
Online: Go to 2020census.gov. All you need is your address. If you don’t have online access, ask a friend for help. Ask friends if they need help.
By phone: English, 844-330-2020; Spanish, 844-468-2020; or Vietnamese, 844-461-2020
See the overall Census tracts for Biloxi
Respond now to the Census
YouTube: Why the Census is important
Gallery: Mayor, City Council on the Census
YouTube: The mayor on being counted
News & Notes: Weather, B-Alert
Rain and flooding: The National Weather Service forecasts heavy rainfall and thunderstorms throughout the day. Torrential rainfall may cause localized flooding. For more information, click here.
B-Alert: Stay in the know about road closures, road re-openings, and other traffic advisories by signing up for B-Alert. It’s a real-time, on-the-go messaging system that brings advisories directly to your cell phone. Just text BILOXI to 888777.
