Census figures suggest La Paz County has lost 19% of its population over the past decade, but local officials believe the agency “failed” to give an accurate count.
La Paz County, Arizona — La Paz County has long had the reputation of being one of Arizona’s most rural and remote areas.
Its open, pristine landscape has regularly appealed to travelers wanting to escape city life and recreational enthusiasts wanting a quiet ride down the Colorado River.
The town of Quartzsite “Nomadland” An Oscar-winning film about castaways forming a community in a barren desert.
But federal data shows La Paz County has become much more rural in recent years.
About 4,000 of the area’s residents have left, leaving La Paz county’s population down 19% since 2010.
No other county in Arizona has lost so much population. In fact, census figures show that the state’s urban areas, Maricopa and Pima counties, have experienced significant growth over the past decade.
RELATED: Arizona is Growing Strongly, According to the 2020 Census
As such, La Paz’s elected leaders are wondering what went wrong during the census and whether the results should be challenged.
“I think the federal government has betrayed us,” said La Paz County Supervisor Duce Minor. “It’s just ridiculous.”
He knew the pandemic might have caused problems in counting residents, but he didn’t expect the Census Bureau to record such a drastic decline in the population.
Miner said he expected the county to grow as it has seen more economic development over the past decade. In 2014, Rose Acre Farms announced The company was looking to purchase 2,600 acres of land in La Paz County to build a poultry farm that would create many new jobs.
“Nobody understands what’s going on,” Minor added. “It doesn’t make sense.”
Census numbers are important to local leaders like Minor. They determine how voting precincts are drawn and how much money the federal government allocates to local governments.
The more people in the county, the more money the county can expect. Losses recorded in La Paz may therefore affect the county’s budget in the years to come.
Low census numbers can also scare developers away from bringing new restaurants and retail outlets into areas that are supposedly sparsely populated.
La Paz County can support the arrival of Trader Joe’s locations, Miner said, but the grocery company probably won’t like the county’s new census numbers, so it’s never going to get them for now. wax.
Before last year’s census was completed, volunteers and La Paz County residents repeatedly asked locals to report their census papers.
Throughout the summer of 2020, Census volunteers reminded La Paz County that reported figures in the area hovered around 20% and pressured residents to submit information by the government’s deadline. rice field.
“Quartzsite, to get the much-needed funds and services, you need to be counted,” a local resident wrote on Facebook last May.
By the end of August last year, the county self-response rate was 23% — According to Parker Pioneer, it’s the lowest in Arizona and far behind the reporting rate seen in La Paz County in the 2010 Census.
An obvious flaw in the census numbers is how they represent the many part-time residents who live in La Paz County only during the winter months.
The Census asks each citizen to report where they lived on April 1, 2020. If a winter resident has moved back to another residence before his April 1st, it will not be counted in La Paz County.
However, most of Arizona is known as a winter visitor destination, and no other county has reported as many losses as La Paz.
Pinal County attracts more seasonal residents during the cooler months, with a 13% increase in population according to the 2020 Census.
Supervisor Miner said he expected more part-time residents to stay in Arizona because the pandemic may have restricted travel.
He added that the pandemic may have worked in the county’s favor, but the Census clearly shows that was not the case in 2020.
The process of filing a census challenge can take months and requires several steps to resolve.
The Census Bureau did not immediately respond to questions about the tally made in La Paz County.
RELATED: Arizona’s Latino Cities Grow But Shrink, According to the Census
RELATED: 15 Republican governors urge release of census data, redraw districts
speed up
12 News Check out the latest news and stories on our YouTube channel. Subscribe now.
