ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — On Saturday, Aug. 1, Essex County hosted a caravan to raise awareness about the U.S. census and motivate residents to complete their census questionnaires. The parade went through Newark, Irvington, Orange and East Orange, four municipalities with low response rates.
“Being counted in the census is important because the federal money we receive for schools, roads, hospitals and other programs is based on population numbers,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said. “Completing your census questionnaire ensures you are counted and we are receiving the federal support we deserve. We hope our caravan reminds you to complete the census, and we look forward to seeing you share your pride in your community.”
Essex County was joined during the caravan by a coalition of partners, including N.J. Secretary of State Tahesha Way. The caravan included a digital message board providing information about the census and how to complete it, a float that carried a DJ playing music, and a mobile billboard. Census representatives and partners engaged spectators, sharing information about the census, encouraging people to complete their questionnaires and distributing free giveaways.
As of Aug. 3, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, New Jersey’s self-response rate was 64.9 percent, above the national self-response rate of 62.9 percent. Essex County is behind the state average though, with only 57.5 percent self-responding. Newark’s self-response rate is 45.6 percent, and East Orange’s is 47.9 percent; the Census Bureau did not have statistics available for Irvington and Orange.
Photos by Steve Ellmore
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