HONOLULU — By talking to religious leaders, creating ads in public schools and handing out brochures, Hawaii is trying to stretch its thin budget to encourage participation in next year’s census.

Hawaii lacks cash for extravagant census marketing efforts promoted in some other states, so state officials and community organizations are finding more creative ways to boost its once-a-decade count that determines how much federal cash the Islands receive.
Hawaii had one of the lowest response rates to the last census, at 60 percent, the same as in Louisiana and Vermont. Alaska had the lowest response rate, at 56 percent. The national average was 67 percent.
Hawaii received more than $1,200 per person in census-based federal money in 2007.