The Town of Fountain Hills is making a good showing with its self-response rate to the 2020 Census according to figures on the Census Bureau website.

Fifty-seven percent of local residents had responded to the Census as of April 15, with almost all the input coming online. The Fountain Hills number is some 10 percent ahead of the statewide average of 47.2 percent.

Although Census Day was April 1, people are able to continue to respond to the questionnaire at my2020census.gov. Census invitations were mailed to all U.S. households in March offering people the option to respond online, by phone or by mail.

Fountain Hills is divided into four Census tracts. Fully two thirds of the households in a tract that covers the north and northwest part of town have responded (66.3 percent). That tract is north of Palisades, west of Fountain Hills Boulevard and includes SunRidge Canyon, North Heights, Eagles Nest and Adero Canyon.

The tract that covers the south and southwest part of town and includes Eagle Mountain and FireRock Country Club has had a 58 percent response.

The tract covering the eastern portion has a 59 percent return.

A tract covering the downtown area has the lowest response rate of 48 percent.

The Census process will continue through the year. At a later point census takers will be making contact by phone or in person to households they have not heard from.

Anyone living in the United States is required by law to respond to the Census.

The Census is mandated by the U.S. Constitution and has taken place each decade since 1790. The count is used to determine representation in Congress and federal funding apportionment.