Forest Hills Has Among NYC's Highest Census Response Rates

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — Residents of Forest Hills and the surrounding area have been filling out the 2020 U.S. Census at one of the highest rates in the city, recent data shows.

An estimated 65 percent of City Council District 29 residents have responded to the census, the second-highest rate in Queens and the third-highest across New York City, according to the data.

That's in spite of the fact that, in District 29 — which includes Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Rego Park and Richmond Hill — more than a third of residents live in "hard-to-count" neighborhoods, based on previous census response rates.

Only City Council District 23 in Eastern Queens and City Council District 10 in Manhattan had higher response rates, at 66 and 67 percent, respectively.

The district's self-response rate so far is the same as its rate for the 2010 Census, with just under one month to go until the deadline for the constitutionally-mandated count.

The data, which was released by City Council Member Barry Grodenchik's office and is organized by City Council district, date back to Aug. 25.

Nationally, 65 percent of people have filled out the 2020 Census. That rate dips to 59 percent for Queens residents and 58 percent across New York City.

The census, which happens every 10 years, determines the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives and how to spend hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding for schools, roads and bridges, public transportation, hospitals and other critical services.

The city's health department and emergency management officials also rely on census data to prepare for and respond to emergencies like the coronavirus pandemic.

New Yorkers can fill out the census online at 2020census.gov or over the phone by calling 844-330-2020.