2020 Census Update: Moneyearnin’ and Response Rates

Mount Vernon, NY expects to receive $11 million in federal funds over the five-year period, 2020-2024. Approximately $2.2 million per year, over the next few years, will be used to address the City’s housing, homelessness, infrastructure, economic development, and community development needs. The idea that $2.2 million could meet the needs of the third-largest and most densely populated city in Westchester County requires a lot of imagination. However, for an individual, spending a couple million dollars a year in Westchester County could easily occur without working up a sweat. McMansions are available in most localities and the County has one of the highest median property taxes in the U.S. Unfortunately, Westchester does not have the highest 2020 Census response rate. At 62%, the County’s performance is less than average. And at 48.2%, Mt. Vernon has the lowest response rate overall. Check the Census 2020 Response Rates List. Compare the numbers. A higher response rate could provide more federal funding for Mt. Vernon’s 67,000+ residents, over the next 10 years. The Census Bureau estimates that each person that is not counted equals a loss of approximately $2,500 per year to municipalities. This means that every 500 people who are not counted equals a loss of about $1,250,000 in funding each year. Mount Vernon’s 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan incorporates Census data and states, “the overarching goal of the City is to provide a unified vision for community development and housing actions” (https://cmvny.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/City-of-Mount-Vernon-ConPlan-060320-clean.pdf). Realize the vision. Complete the Census online (my2020census.gov), by phone (1-844-330-2020/English), or by mail. Help get all (not some) of the money for Moneyearnin’ Mount Vernon.