NWA EDITORIAL | Early planning can mean a better census count among Northwest Arkansas’ Latinx residents

Preparing for 2030 census important now

In a world filled with distractions and, let's be honest, procrastination, suggesting it's never too early to start something doesn't always grab much attention.

Immediate needs get immediate attention. Everything else can wait.

And so it's extra easy when thinking about the United States census to believe there's plenty of time to prepare for the next one, in 2030. It seems like only yesterday the results from the 2020 national census started to come out, reflecting the population shifts and other changes of the last decade that will influence politics, government funding and the like for years to come.

Arturo Vargas, chief executive of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, was in Springdale last week to speak to the annual gathering of the Hispanic Women of Arkansas. Perhaps it's only appropriate that he should be speaking in Springdale, where many advocates and public officials believe the 2020 census numbers represent a serious undercount of the Latinx community.

Vargas pointed to places like Texas, Florida and Arizona where big gains in the Hispanic populations were expected, but did not materialize in the nation's official count.

The Census Bureau has acknowledged an undercount, by its estimate, of about 5% among Hispanics nationwide, a rate more than three times the pacing of mistakes in the 2010 census.

That is a loss of federal funding and political power. In our region, that's not just a loss for Springdale, which has a heavy concentration of Latinx residents, but for Northwest Arkansas as a whole.

So Vargas offers sage advice: It's not too soon to start spreading the word about the 2030 census effort. Indeed, a concerted effort over the next several years may be exactly what it takes to ensure a more accurate count, by removing any cultural, political or other barriers to full participation.

No one can be reduced to a number, but when it comes to the U.S. census, the numbers really count for a lot. Preparedness is a long-term process that's vital to Northwest Arkansas and its Latinx population.

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