Douglas at less than half census participation

Fewer than half of Douglas County residents have mailed in their U.S. census forms according to information released on Monday.

Douglas County is at 43 percent of their total participation so far this year, slightly behind the state average of 44 percent. The deadline to mail in forms is Thursday.

In 2000, the county had 68 percent participation with the census.

Douglas is right in the middle of the pack for participation so far, tied with a half dozen other counties, including Washoe and Clark.

So far Western Nevada is home to three of the top participants, Carson City, Churchill and Storey counties.

Several rural counties have participated the least, including Esmeralda County with 23 percent and Eureka County with 28 percent.

In the 2000 census, Douglas participation was fourth in the nation at 68 percent.

Carson City topped the rest of the state with 79 percent participation.

Residents seeking to track participation in the Census can do so online by visiting http://2010.census.gov/2010census/take10map/

Every percentage point of residents who mail back census forms saves taxpayers $85 million in the cost of sending workers out to collect the information in person.