Where is the Census Bus?

The Dayton RTA rolled out a bus this week equipped with free WiFi to encourage people to fill out a Census questionaire online.

Nikol Miller, community relations manager for Dayton RTA, said the Dayton-Montgomery County Complete Count Committee is looking at every avenue to encourage people to participate in the 2020 Census.

The Census results are used to determine how much funding local communities receive for key public services and how many seats each state gets in Congress. State and local officials also use census counts to draw boundaries for congressional, state legislative, and school districts.

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More than one third of Americans have already responded to the census, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

In the 2010 Census, 72% of Americans responded. About 68% of Montgomery County residents responded to the 2010 Census, according to data compiled by the Census Bureau and the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission.

Centerville and Oakwood had the highest response rates in the county, with 80% of Centerville residents responding and 81% of Oakwood residents responding.

In Dayton, 58% of residents responded to the 2010 Census.

The Census bus will be on route 7 on Thursday and route 12 on Friday.

The bus will be out through the end of the summer, Miller said. For the bus' schedule, you can check RTA's website.

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Additionally, the Census Bureau is still looking for workers. To apply for a census job, call (855) JOB-2020, or (855) 562-2020.