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Florida lags in census response

FILE - This April 5, 2020 file photo shows an envelope containing a 2020 census letter mailed to a U.S. resident. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File) (Paul Sancya, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – About 60% of Florida households have responded to this year’s census, trailing 31 other states in response rates, according to information released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The national response rate was 63.1% as of Wednesday, while Florida was at 60.1%.

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The top states for responses were in the Midwest, with Minnesota at 72.4%, Wisconsin at 69.7% and Nebraska, Michigan and Iowa at 68.9%.

In Florida, the highest response rate has been in Sumter County, at 69.8%. It was followed by Seminole County at 68.8%, St. Johns County at 68.7%, Hernando County at 68.3% and Brevard County at 68%, according to the Census Bureau.

RELATED: If you live in the Arlington area, there’s a good chance you need to fill out the census

The census count is important, in part, because it helps determine how many members of the U.S. House come from each state and is used in distributing federal money.

The Census Bureau said it will continue collecting data until Sept. 30.