St. Lawrence County residents are reminded that the last day to participate in the 2020 Census is Wednesday, Sept. 30.

Presently the County’s overall participation rate is 56.5% which is nearly 6% below its participation rate in 2010.

As of Sept 11, nine towns in St. Lawrence County continue to have participation rates of less than 40%. Residents in the Adirondack Park, and around Black Lake are especially encouraged to complete their Census form and raise their community’s 2020 Census participation rate.

Residents can complete the Census online at: https://2020census.gov/ or by calling the Census Bureau toll free at: 1 (844) 330-2020.

If a Census taker visits your home, please agree to participate and answer their questions. Completing the Census is easy, and it’s confidential.

Remember: Participating in the Census helps determine where and how much Federal and State funding is allocated to important services and programs, including: highway and bridge repair, fire and emergency protection, education, and health care. Every person who is counted in the Census yields more than $2,000 in Federal and State funding for programs such as these. Undercounting in the Census leads to underfunding for your local community.

Participating in the Census also leads to better political representation. An accurate count of a community’s population influences how congressional, state and local district boundaries are redrawn to ensure equal representation at all levels of government.

For more information, contact the County Planning Office at 315-379-2292.