CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — There are some eye opening numbers to report as the deadline approaches to fill out the 2020 Census.
We learned today that about half of Nueces County residents have filled out their questionnaire, something one local expert said is concerning.
To this date, only 54-percent of residents in Nueces County have responded to the census, which is well below the state and national average.
Dr. Jim Lee with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi said for every person who doesn't fill out the census -- that's about $1,500 lost per person, per year for the next 10 years.
He said that could ultimately impact the overall picture of our population. It can impact business relocations and the amount of federal dollars allocated for issues like education, healthcare, road repairs, food assistance and disaster response.
"A tremendous impact over a long period of time, because the census, it's what determines our growth over the next 10 years, if not longer, unless we have some adjustments or corrections to the numbers," Dr. Lee said.
Dr. Lee said he believes the pandemic could be partially to blame. Nueces County lost roughly one billion dollars in critical funding from 2010-2020 due to an under count back in 2010.