On the last day of counting, Virginia census officials say more than 99% of state residents were counted. Virginia’s self-response rate was about 71%, higher than the national average of 67%.
Richmond’s self-response rate was lower than average at around 62%. Local census officials say door-to-door and over-the-phone follow-ups got both the city and Virginia as a whole to a complete count by the October 15 deadline, which was extended due to the pandemic.
According to the census website, the lowest self-response rates in Richmond -- under 50% -- were in the South Side, the East End, and the historically Black neighborhoods of Jackson Ward and Carver.
Census experts consider racial minorities and immigrants “ hard-to-count” due to language barriers and a general distrust in government caused by systematic disenfranchisement.
At around 40%, self-response rates were also low on Virginia Commonwealth University’s campus. High housing mobility makes college students similarly hard to count.
The highest self-response rates in Richmond were in the West End with some census tracts reporting rates as high as 85%.
Henrico’s and Chesterfield’s self-response rates were also above the state average at 76%and 77% respectively. Accomack County in the Eastern Shore reported the lowest response rate in the state at around 38%.