The current 2020 census response rate for Lycoming County is 64%, just below the state’s overall rate of 65%.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Census deadline has been pushed back from August to Oct. 31.
While the majority of the county’s township average between 60 and 77% response rate, a few rural outliers have lower results.
The township with the lowest response rate is McHenry Township at a 9.2% response rate, just below Brown Township with a 10% response rate. Cummings Township has a 22% response rate and Pine Township is at 25%.
Each of these four townships are in the northwestern region of the county with populations ranging from 96 (Brown) to 291 (Pine). These townships also are rural with reported poor broadband internet service. So far, 48% of Lycoming County’s full responses are submitted through the internet.
See the full census results here.
Why is a census important?
The United States census is held every 10 years, and roughly one in four people fail to participate.
Census numbers are used to determine funding allocations for counties and municipalities. For each missing person among census data, roughly $2,000 is estimated to be lost over the upcoming decade. The 2010 census showed a population of 116,000 in Lycoming County, with an estimated non-response rate of 23%.
The county’s estimated population rate in 2019 was 113,000.
Census numbers also hold political significance, as they are used to determine congressional districts. Electoral district lines can be redrawn based on census results.
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