As of Wednesday, Illinois was number 7 in terms of self-response, with a 69.8% rate. Illinois ranks 12th in total “enumeration,” or the percentage of households in the state that have been counted in the census, at 89.8 percent. Among states with a population over 10 million, Illinois ranks first in both categories.

In 2010, which only allowed self-response via mail, Illinois had a 70.5%  response rate. The 2020 census allows for residents to self-file a form online, through mail or by phone.

The state is on track to meet its 2010 response rate, but structural obstacles to filling out the census have kept response rates low in some parts of the state, including some rural counties and several census tracts on the south and west sides of Chicago among others.

Lack of access to broadband internet, the prevalence of PO boxes which the Census Bureau does not send forms to, and the difficulty census door-knockers have reaching rural residents all factor into some county’s having response rates as low as 33.4 percent.

The state has just 27 days to increase its response rates after the Trump administration shortened the deadline for reporting from the end of October to the end of September.

A federal lawsuit to restore the original deadline is ongoing.

Illinoisans can fill out the census by mail, online at 2020census.gov, or by calling (844) 330-2020.