Pittsfield Residents Urged To Respond To Census

Local officials are urgently asking residents to respond to the 2020 Census. Here's the Official Press Release From the Mayor's Office and the City of Pittsfield:

Census 2020 outreach: Pittsfield residents urged to respond

As Pittsfield’s response rate for the Census currently stands at 66 percent, compared to 73 percent in 2010, a final push is underway to keep the responses coming in through the end of September, according to local officials.

The Census Bureau will be mailing the seventh and final notice to households that have not yet replied and have also begun the non-response follow up, said Mark Maloy, of Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) and head of the Berkshire Complete Count Committee.

“As a reminder, the federal government distributes approximately $2,500 per person, per year, based on census numbers. Additionally, legislative representation at the state and national levels also depend on this data,” Maloy notes. “As each community will be living with these counts for the next ten years, it’s important to count everyone.”

City Clerk Michele Benjamin reiterated this urgency and reminded residents that this is the federal census, not to be confused with Pittsfield’s local census, or annual street listing, which was mailed out in January.

As part of the final outreach efforts, federal Census takers will be leaving a Notice of Visit form at city residences in which contact has not been established.