Census 2020: Thank You, Arlington!

Published on October 23, 2020

[caption id="attachment_27309" align="alignnone" width="589"] WATCH: County Board Thanks Arlington for a 99.98% Completion Rate[/caption]

 

Arlington is thrilled to report that as of October 15, an estimated 99.98% of Arlington households had been counted in the 2020 Census!

This monumental success in achieving an accurate, complete count of Arlington households could not have occurred without the hard work and dedication of the County's Census partners and champions, Complete Count Committee, staff, volunteers, and of course, our residents.

Over the past 18 months, Census outreach took many different forms — including numerous volunteer events, extensive social media campaigns, in-person counting stations and more. Each of these efforts was essential in achieving this near-100% count.

And we couldn't have done it without each and every County resident who took the Census online, opened the door to answer questions from a Census taker, or encouraged friends and family to complete their forms. Thanks to you, Arlington is assured its fair share of federal funding for programs and services, voter apportionment, and an accurate measure of our population for planning over the next decade.

WATCH: Census Highlights Video

Milestones and Memories

This Census was historic and extraordinary. It was the first Census to be conducted with an online option, and it was the first Census to include questions about members of the LGBTQ community.

However, the operational challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic made this Census one for the books. Thanks to everyone's hard work and dedication, we were able to achieve a near-complete count of Arlington's population.

Special thanks to our more than 250 partners and champions and Complete Count Committee members who worked tirelessly to get out the word about the Census and encourage their networks to complete their forms.

Here are just a few of the myriad milestones reached over the last year and a half thanks to these efforts:

Census Kick-Off: On April 1, 2019, community members and County staff gathered at the Arlington Mill Community Center to launch the Complete Count Committee and inaugurate outreach efforts to get everyone counted and jump start outreach efforts.

Watch: Arlington County Census 2020 Complete Count Committee Kickoff

[caption id="attachment_27311" align="alignnone" width="591"] Census 2020 Kickoff[/caption]

Arlington Students Learn About the Census: Arlington Public schools helped bring Census awareness to students and their families by incorporating the Census into the curriculum.

Watch: APS and Census 2020

Crystal City Grand Opening: Arlington was home to a Census Area Office, and we welcomed Census Director Dr. Steven Dillingham to the grand opening.

[caption id="attachment_27310" align="alignnone" width="589"] Census Director Dr. Steven Dillingham and County Board Member Katie Cristol.[/caption]

 

Census Day: April 1, 2020, was Census Day - a nationwide effort to get out the count and make a major push to encourage Census response. Arlington conducted a Twitter Town Hall, virtually connecting with community members about the importance of taking the Census.

Coping with COVID-19: Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, much of our outreach shifted from in-person efforts to digital platforms. But we kept counting… right up to the last minute! With signs, banners, doorhangers and numerous volunteers, we reached households around the County with the message that Everyone Counts!

[caption id="attachment_27312" align="alignnone" width="589"] Census Volunteers with Signs[/caption]

Thank You!

These events are only a sampling of the amazing efforts that went into the 2020 Census by our partners, community members, and Complete Count Committee. Thanks to everyone for a successful year and a half of outreach and all you did to get Arlington counted!