60 percent of Minnesotans mailed back census

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- The U.S. Census Bureau says 60 percent of Minnesota residents have returned their census forms as of today, the soft deadline for mailing back the questionnaire.

Nationally, the participation rate is 52 percent.

The Census Bureau has spent hundreds of millions of promotional dollars, hoping to boost the mail response. It's counting on a return rate of at least 67 percent and has based its budget for census takers on that figure.

The highest response rate in Minnesota is in Brown County where 74 percent of residents have returned the forms. Minnesota Public Radio says some of the lowest response rates are in northern Minnesota, in Cook and Lake of the Woods counties.