Wake County gets creative in 2020 Census push
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- The census deadline is quickly approaching.
"Given all that's going on, it still doesn't feel like enough time," Wake County senior planner Akul Nishawala said.
At 72 percent, Wake County has the second highest response rate in the state but that's still far from the goal of 82 percent by September 30th.
"It means more federal funding for us as a whole. NCDOT, for example, transportation, these are all state programs and we all benefit from that," Nishawala said.
WATCH: Billions of dollars at risk as North Carolina's 2020 Census response rate lags behind rest of US
That's why Wake County is getting creative in its final push, creating clean graffiti in some of the areas with the lowest response numbers. Crews have pressure washed images onto dirty sidewalks near downtown Raleigh.
"It stays for a while and it's going to be there for a little it even afterwards, so hopefully the census resonates enough so when the next one come around in ten years, we'll remember," Nishawala said.
And fortunately, people in Wake County have really taken advantage of the online aspect of this year's census. So far, 66 percent of families have opted to respond online-and during a pandemic-it's been crucial.
"It's such an easy thing to do and it just seems silly to not take 10 minutes and do this," Nishawala said.
If you'd like more information about how to complete the census, visit 2020census.gov.
