The U.S. Census Bureau is working through the challenges of the coronavirus to complete the 2020 Census by the deadline at the end of the calendar year.

Early this month, Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham issued a statement outlining how the process will move forward toward completion.

“We are announcing updates to our plan that will include enumerator awards and the hiring of more employees to accelerate the completion of data collection and apportionment counts by our statutory deadline of Dec. 31, 2020, as required by law and directed by the Secretary of Commerce,” Dillingham said in his statement. “The Census Bureau’s new plan reflects our continued commitment to conduct a complete count, provide accurate apportionment data, and protect the health and safety of the public and our workforce.”

As of last week, residents in Fountain Hills had achieved a 69.7 percent rate of self-reporting to the Census. In one tract in the northwest part of town, the response rate was 77.6 percent. The town’s overall response is higher than both the state rate (59.7) and the national average (62.9).

The bureau has announced steps it is taking to enhance the collection of data from those who have not self-reported.

*The bureau will improve the speed of the count without sacrificing completeness. As part of the revised plan, the agency will conduct additional training sessions and provide awards to enumerators in recognition of those who maximize hours worked. They will also keep phone and tablet computer devices for enumeration in use for the maximum time possible.

*The bureau will end field data collection by Sept. 30. Self-response options will also close on that date to permit the commencement of data processing. Under this plan, the Census Bureau intends to meet a similar level of household responses as collected in prior censuses, including outreach to hard-to-count communities.

Officials state the Census Bureau will continue to prioritize the health and safety of its workforce and the public. Staff will continue to follow federal, state, and local guidance, including providing appropriate safety trainings and personal protective equipment to field staff.

“We are committed to a complete and accurate 2020 Census. To date, 93 million households, nearly 63 percent of all households in the nation, have responded to the 2020 Census,” Dillingham said. “Building on our successful and innovative internet response option, the dedicated women and men of the Census Bureau, including our temporary workforce deploying in communities across the country in upcoming weeks, will work diligently to achieve an accurate count.

“We appreciate the support of our hundreds of thousands of community-based, business, state, local and tribal partners contributing to these efforts across our nation.”

Anyone who has not yet responded to the Census survey is encouraged to do so today online at 2020census.gov, over the phone, or by mail.