Returns low: Census work resumes

COLFAX—Census takers were set to begin follow-up work Aug. 9 with households that had not responded to the 2020 Census. Whitman County is one of 20 eastern Washington counties being impacted by the work and is one of the counties with the lowest response rate.

Washington state is tied for fourth best-responding state in the nation at 68.9%. Whitman County is on the lower end of the response spectrum with 59% returns. Ferry County is the lowest in eastern Washington with 39.4% while Benton is the best-responding of the east side with 72.7%.

The national response rate as of Aug. 8 was 63.2%.

Cen...