The City of SeaTac will be hosting a US Census Bureau Mobile Questionnaire Assistance (MQA) site this Thursday, July 16 at the City Hall parking lot.

MQA is the next phase of the Census field operations and outreach to assist residents to fill-out their Census self-response forms.

The MQA will be set-up at from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., this Thursday, July 16, 2020 at the SeaTac City Hall parking lot located at 4800 South 188th Street (map below).

Census workers in uniforms will have secure tablets issued by the bureau for residence to fill-out their forms. 

Census staff will practice all safety protocols, including social distancing and will be wearing masks.

MQA sites are set up in Census tracts that have a low response rate. SeaTac has been identified as having one of the lowest response rates Census tracts, at 47%, and this tract’s boundaries is in the City of SeaTac, encompassing Military Road, 200th Street, to 188th.  The self-response rate for the whole City is 55.60% which is 7.90% below the 2010 census response rate of 63.50%.

The 2020 Census counts every person living in the United States and five U.S. territories. The count is mandated by the Constitution and conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, a nonpartisan government agency. The 2020 Census counts the population in the United States and five U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Each home will receive an invitation to respond to a short questionnaire—online, by phone, or by mail—between March 12-20.  All census data is due to the Bureau by October 31.

The census provides critical data that lawmakers, business owners, teachers, and many others use to provide daily services, products, and support for you and your community. Every year, billions of dollars in federal funding go to hospitals, fire departments, schools, roads, and other resources based on census data.

The results of the census also determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives, and they are used to draw congressional and state legislative districts.

It’s also in the Constitution: Article 1, Section 2, mandates that the country conduct a count of its population once every 10 years. The 2020 Census will mark the 24th time that the country has counted its population since 1790.

Participating in the census is required by law, even if you recently completed another survey from the Census Bureau. A complete and accurate count is critical for you and your community, because the results of the 2020 Census will affect community funding, congressional representation, and more.

Below are the Census self-response rates for the State, County and South King County cities.

Jurisdiction Current 2020 % 2010 % Difference
National 62.00% 79.30% -17.30%
WA State 67.30% 67.20% 0.10%
King County 71.20% 70.30% 0.90%
City of SeaTac 55.60% 63.50% -7.90%
City of Tukwila 61.20% 64.00% -2.80%
City of Federal Way 64.90% 67.10% -2.20%
City of Auburn 67.10% 68.40% -1.30%
City of Kent 66.90% 67.80% -0.90%
City of Burien 67.70% 68.00% -0.30%
City of Renton 69.30% 67.20% 2.10%