Upper East Siders Neglect Census Amid Pandemic, Report Says

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Less than half of the Upper East Side's census tract has filled out the important once-every-decade survey that has important implications for New York's political representation and funding, according to reports.

Just 46 percent of residents in the Upper East Side's census tract have completed the census as of June 25, the New York Times first reported. The usually-reliable neighborhood when it comes to the census is rating worse than the citywide average response rate of 53 percent since "Census Day" on April 1, according to the report.

The coronavirus pandemic may be to blame. Wealthy Manhattanites who fled New York the city at the height of the coronavirus outbreak in March and April are proving difficult targets for census outreach workers. Neighborhoods such as the Upper East Side were never the prime target for outreach, either, the New York Times reported.

Most of the city's outreach efforts are directed toward historically under-counted neighborhoods. In 2010, the Upper East Side had a 71 percent response rate compared to a citywide 62 percent response rate.

Census takers will launch efforts to interview members of non-responding households on July 16, according to the United States Census Bureau's official website. The bureau has pushed back the deadline for census submissions to Oct. 31 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The original deadline was set for July 31.

Read the full New York Times report here.