
The 2020 US Census is continuing and we have the latest update on response rates in Anderson and Campbell counties.
According to the US Census Bureau, 59.0% of Americans have “self-responded” and completed the Census either by mail or online. Tennessee comes in just below the national average with 58.9% of the Volunteer State’s population having already completed the brief survey, which plays a critical role in the allocation of federal funding for a wide array of programs in communities all across the country for the next ten years.
As of Tuesday, May 12th, Anderson County’s response rate is outpacing the state average, as 61.8% of the population has completed the Census. For those keeping track of the friendly competition between the city managers of Clinton and Oak Ridge over which city will have the higher response rate, Oak Ridge continues to lead with a rate of 65.7%, compared to Clinton’s 64.8%. The losing city manager will have to wear the colors of the winning city’s high school for an entire day.
59.4% of Oliver Springs’ residents have completed the Census, while Rocky Top’s response rate (although it is still listed on the Census Bureau website as “Lake City) is 46.7. Surprisingly, Norris has the second-lowest response rate of any city in Tennessee at a meager 15.9%.
Campbell County is one of 21 Tennessee counties with a response rate below 50%, coming at 49.4%.
Inside the county, Jacksboro has the highest response rate at 58.6%. Jellico and La Follette each have response rates of 49.0% while Caryville has a response rate of 45.3%.