The 2020 Census will be critically important to rural America, where lower response rates and broadband connectivity present challenges in the push for online participation. This theme examines factors affecting response rates, community engagement activities to enhance participation, and its impact on the Cooperative Extension Service.

To identify hard-to-count places, the U.S. Census Bureau has computed low response scores using 25 sociodemographic variables. However, rurality of survey areas was not considered. We find that non-metro counties have lower response rates and that the influence of sociodemographic factors on census responses differs between metro and non-metro counties.

Census data are used for numerous decision-making processes, many of which impact children. From a project in Mississippi, this article reports on use of public data to identify places where children might be undercounted and use of community engagement strategies to facilitate dialogue to enhance census outreach and education.

Miscounts and undercounts in the census result in a social equity problem that negatively affects communities. An accurate census leads to representative leadership, accurate fund distribution, and informed decision making. A reliable census establishes a solid foundation for fair, equitable, and prudent allocation of community resources in the next decade.