Epworth standing up to be counted

EPWORTH - Residents of this Dubuque County town aren't wasting any time standing up to be counted in the 2010 census.

Epworth was tied for third nationally in census return rate this week, with forms already returned by 75 percent of the town's residents, according to the Census Bureau. That means there aren't many more people left uncounted in Epworth, which had a population of 1,602 at last count.

The best census return rate so far is in Champ, Mo., which had about 80 percent returned. Sholes, Neb., with about 77 percent returned, ranked second.

Back in Iowa, Leighton, a Mahaska County town of about 153 residents, was tied with Epworth with a 75 percent return rate.

Iowa's overall census return rate so far is 42 percent, lagging behind neighboring South Dakota and Minnesota (43 percent) but ahead of other neighboring states.

Iowa had the best return rate nationwide in the 2000 census.