OLYMPIA… The rate of return for the 2010 Census vary dramatically across the 39th Legislative District, with some communities returning less than 50 percent of the forms, Sen. Val Stevens, R-Arlington, announced today.
 
As of April 13, three of the four counties in the district reported being behind the participation rate for the last census taken in 2000:
 
·         King:               69 percent       (74 percent in 2000)
·         Skagit:             72 percent       (53 percent in 2000)
·         Snohomish:     69 percent       (73 percent in 2000)
·         Whatcom:        70 percent       (72 percent in 2000)
 
Seven cities in King, Skagit and Snohomish counties reported fewer returns than the state average of 69 percent, even though about half exceeded the 2000 Census participation rate:
 
·         Skykomish:     42 percent       (43 percent in 2000)
·         Hamilton:        59 percent       (42 percent in 2000)
·         Index:              39 percent       (42 percent in 2000)
·         Darrington:      60 percent       (60 percent in 2000)
·         Granite Falls:   64 percent       (60 percent in 2000)
·         Monroe:           66 percent       (71 percent in 2000)
·         Sultan:             66 percent       (64 percent in 2000)
 
 “You lose a huge part of your paycheck to the federal government,” Stevens said. “Filling out the census form will help you get some of that money back in federal support for infrastructure and services like hospitals, job training centers, schools, senior centers, and public works projects. The data will help determine how much of the 400 billion dollars of taxpayer money allotted for infrastructure returns to your community. It will also save the unnecessary cost and inconvenience of subsidizing a census taker’s visit to your home to complete the census count. So, please join me in mailing in your census form today.”
 
For additional details, go to www.2010census.gov/2010census/take10map/.