Data: Fort Bend County's 2020 census self-response rate is 68%—higher than any other Texas county

With 68% of Fort Bend County residents having already responded to the 2020 census, Fort Bend County has the highest self-response rate of any county in Texas, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

“I always say the greatest treasure of Fort Bend County are the people that call it home,” Fort Bend County Judge KP George said in a statement. “I credit our first place ranking in Texas to our residents, the incredible work of our 2020 Census Complete Count Committee, and the modern, data-driven 2020 Census Amplification program [which] we designed and [is] supported by local foundations.”

Below are the top 10 counties in Texas with the highest response rates. This data is accurate as of 2 p.m. June 12.

• Fort Bend County—68%
• Rockwall County—67.8%
• Collin County—67%
• Randall County—64.8%
• Ellis County—64.8%
• Williamson County—64.7%
• Parker County—64.7%
• Guadalupe County—64.5%
• Denton County—64.3%
• Johnson County—63.9%

This is also the first time residents have the option to respond to the census online. Douglas Loveday, a senior media specialist with the U.S. Census Bureau, said in a release that the online option has been utilized by most respondents nationwide. In Fort Bend County, the internet self-response rate is 62.9%.

For four local cities, census self-response rates are as follows:

• Sugar Land—74.6%
• Fulshear—74.7%
• Missouri City—72.7%
• Katy—68.1%

For Texas as a whole, the response rate is 55.5%. The nationwide rate is 60.8%.

The results of the census inform how hundreds of billions of dollars of federal funding are allocated to the states for programs, such as Medicaid, the early childhood education program Head Start, block grants for community mental health services and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

“I urge every Fort Bend resident who has not yet responded to step up, join their neighbors and respond as soon as possible," George said in the release. "Responding to your 2020 Census questionnaire is so important—these official population estimates are what determine how much funding we get locally for schools, hospitals, roads, and many other programs. Together we can make sure we have enough resources for our growing population.”