The U.S. Census Bureau is encouraging those who have not responded to the decennial count of people living in Texas County to complete the census.
The telephone number to complete the census is 844-330-2020. The phone lines are staffed by trained enumerators, or census takers, from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday, said Kristina Barrett, a public affairs specialist for the census bureau.
As of Saturday, about 51.3 percent of county residents had completed it. That number is 59.9 percent in the state.
Here are the rates for communities in the county: Houston, 51.7 percent; Cabool, 55.8; Licking, 46; Raymondville, 45; Summersville, 36.6; and Plato, 45.1. In the 8th Congressional District, the rate is 50.2 percent.
The deadline to respond to the census is Oct. 31, which has been pushed back due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal government will use data collected in the census to assign congressional representation, to distribute more than $675 billion in grants and funding for roads and bridges, hospitals and public health agencies, schools, food pantries, police and public safety, and more.