EDGEWATER — Far North Side neighborhoods are among the highest participating areas for filling out the census, but there is still room for improvement, according to city data.
Uptown, Edgewater and Rogers Park are among the top 15 city wards based on the percentages of population to fill out the 2020 U.S. census. West Ridge is ranked 22nd.
Still, none of the neighborhoods have reached the census participation goal of 75 percent city officials have set for the individual wards.
In an effort to boost census participation, the city released ward-specific data this week showing the number of households that have participated in the count so far. Citywide, 47.4 percent of households have participated.
Census participation helps determine federal funding for things like education, child care, workforce training and health care.
The state loses between $1,400 and $1,800 in federal funding per year over 10 years for every resident not counted in the census, according to Illinois Census Director Oswaldo Alvarez.
The state risks losing $195 million per year for each 1 percent of the population undercounted, Gov. JB Pritzker said during an April 1 press conference.
“Illinois only had a 70 percent response rate in 2010 and each year the state has gotten about $34 billion just based on our census count. Just imagine if everyone in the state had been counted 10 years ago,” Alvarez said.
Here’s how some Far North Side neighborhoods have fared on census participation to date.
Uptown
The 46th ward, which encompasses Uptown and portions of Lakeview, has a census response rate of 54.8 percent, according to city data.
So far, 17,283 households out of over 31,000 households in the 46th ward have responded to the census.
While there is a 75 percent goal for the city, officials have given the 46th ward a 77 percent target rate.
Check out the map below to see which parts of the ward have had better response rates for the census.
Edgewater
In the 48th ward, making up Edgewater and portions of Andersonville, 54.2 percent of residents have responded to the census.
Just over 18,000 households of nearly 34,000 households have participated as of Wednesday.
Chicago officials have set a response goal of 77.4 percent for the 48th ward.
Here’s the breakdown of how each area has responded.
Rogers Park
Just over half of residents have completed the census in the 49th ward, comprising Rogers park and a portion of West Ridge.
Out of a total of 28,652 households, nearly 14,400 had responded to the census.
The target participation rate for the 49th ward is 73.2 percent.
Here’s which parts of the ward are lagging when it comes to census response.
West Ridge
In the 50th ward, which makes up most of West Ridge, 49.8 percent of households in the ward have responded to the census.
Of the 20,622 households in the ward, 10,320 have responded to the census.
The ward’s target response rate is 76.6.
Here is the breakdown of census participation in the ward.
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