Boston Globe: For census, R.I. is hardest state to count in New England

PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island is the hardest state in New England in which to get a full, accurate count of the population, according to US Census Bureau standards.

The Census Bureau designates a geographic area as “hard-to-count” if its self-response rate in the 2010 census was 73 percent or lower. By that standard, 24 percent of Rhode Islanders live in “hard-to-count” neighborhoods — the highest percentage of any state in New England (followed by Massachusetts at 23 percent ) and the 12th highest in the nation, according to Common Cause Rhode Island data. …

Also, the Associated Press recently reported that the Census Bureau is asking states for drivers’ license records that typically include citizenship data. State officials say Rhode Island has not received such a request from the Census Bureau.

But John M. Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island, emphasized that, “The Constitution is crystal clear that the census is to count every resident of the United States, regardless of their citizenship status. Any attempt to discourage participation by non-citizens is an affront to that constitutional purpose.” …

In the 2010 census, the municipalities in Rhode Island with the lowest self-response rates were Central Falls (60 percent), Providence (62 percent), Pawtucket (66 percent), Little Compton (69 percent), Woonsocket (69 percent), and Newport (70 percent), according to Common Cause data.

Marion, a member of the Rhode Island Complete Count Committee, noted the state’s “hard-to-count” areas include not just urban core neighborhoods but also places such as Kingston, home to the University of Rhode Island — which underscores the difficulty in getting college students to respond to census surveys.

A total of $1.2 million is available to encourage 2020 census participation in Rhode Island. The state budgeted $500,000, the federal government added $200,000, and private donors are providing $500,000 for the Rhode Island Census Fund, which is being administered by the Rhode Island Foundation.

“To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time there has been a community-based effort to encourage census participation in Rhode Island,” Marion said. “In the past, we have relied solely on the Census Bureau.”

Other states have invested big bucks in bolstering their census counts, he said, noting California is spending $187 million on census outreach.

“For Rhode Islanders, millions of dollars of federal money and political representation for their communities hang in the balance,” Marion said. “It is imperative we make sure every Rhode Islander participates in the census.”