Dear Black Texans: Stand Up and Be Counted . . . on the 2020 Census
by Dr. Algernon Austin, Senior Researcher, Thurgood Marshall Institute
Black Texans could lose out on their fair share of federal funding and political representation if there continues to be a 2020 Census undercount of their communities. At the time of this writing, Texas is ranked 39th among the states in terms of the share of its population that has completed the 2020 Census. Only 59.6 percent of Texas households have completed the Census.
Spend a few minutes and complete the Census right now at my2020census.gov or 844–330–2020.
As the table illustrates, some Texas counties where African Americans comprise a larger share of the population than their state-wide percentage also have low 2020 Census completion rates. For example, only about half of the households in Anderson, Walker, and Waller counties have completed the Census. Fort Bend County has the highest completion rate in the state, but its 71.7 percent completion rate is still far away from 100 percent.
September 30 is the deadline for completing the Census.* It is still possible for Texans to spend a few minutes and complete the Census right now at my2020census.gov or 844–330–2020. The more Texans fill out the Census, the more resources there will be for Texas communities.
*The closing date for submission of Census surveys is under court review.
