Getting undercounted Philly neighborhoods to fill out the census relies on unconventional techniques

When a fund ran out, five teenagers were paid less than others promoting census awareness in Camden. A church gave each of them $400 before Christmas.

Census advocates in the city woke up Wednesday morning ready to begin a final two-day push to boost Philly’s 56% response rate, which is down six points from a decade ago.

For some of the Camden census workers, the job was at best marred by misunderstandings and at worst, a story of broken promises.