70% of City of Goleta Households Have Completed the 2020 Census

Finding yourself at home a lot these days?  It’s the perfect time to make sure you have completed your #2020Census.  While you are home, please do your part to Make Goleta Count and take a minute to fill out the census online at My2020Cenus.gov or call 844-330-2020.  #BeCounted #CensusSBC #MakeGoletaCount

According to the 2020 Self Response Rate Map, as of June 5, 2020, 70% of Goleta Households have completed their census.  As a comparison, the final response number for the City of Goleta in the 2010 Census was 75.3%.  That means we are close to beating our rate from 2010 but we are hoping we can fill the remaining gap and rally the remaining 30% of residents to complete their census. We need your help to achieve our goal of 100% participation.  The City is proud of our Make Goleta Count campaign which has helped spread the word about the importance of filling out the census. Please watch and share our Make Goleta Count video.

This is the first year you can fill out your census on-line at My2020Cenus.gov. If you did not respond to a postcard invitation to participate on-line, you should have received a paper copy of the census in the mail. The census is easy to fill out, follow the instructions and answer 9 simple questions – it takes no time at all. You can also complete your census by phone at 844-330-2020. U.S. Census workers will be doing in person visits to households who have not yet responded.

When filling out your census, please remember to count everyone in your household even if they are not family members. Also, don’t forget to count children even if they are babies.  It’s estimated that one in 10 children under age five were missed in the last census.  That is more than two million uncounted children. Also, it’s important to know that the 2020 Census is confidential and your personal information, by law, can’t be shared.

Emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic are precisely why the government needs accurate 2020 Census data. Your response to the 2020 Census shapes decisions about how billions of dollars in federal funds flow into communities each year for the next ten years.

The following items are at stake for Goleta if there is an undercount in the 2020 Census:

  • Loss of revenue for TEN years
  • Federal funding for Community Development Block Grants
  • Library funding
  • Gas tax related revenue for road repairs
  • Special funding based on population
  • District election boundaries

You can track the census completion rate for the City and other areas by using the Response Rate Map

Learn more about the 2020 Census on the City’s census webpage and on Santa Barbara County’s census website. Information in Spanish is also available on the City website and Santa Barbara County website. 

Let’s Go Goleta!  Let’s reach 100% participation in the 2020 Census.  We can do it!