Local
Governments Key to Success of 2010 Census
The Census
Bureau estimates there will be more than 310 million people living in more than
130 million households across the country by 2010. The partnership of local governments is vital
to accomplish the feat of counting every person living in all 50 states, the
Factoring in an increasingly diverse population, the rise in immigration and a record number of languages spoken by respondents, the need for a complete and accurate address list to mail or hand-deliver questionnaires will play a critical role in obtaining an accurate population count in the next census.
Although the 2010 Census is still three years away, the U.S. Census Bureau has begun mailing informational booklets to all state, local and tribal governments about a program for them to provide updated addresses for their communities ¾ known as the Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) program.
This joint and voluntary program between the Census Bureau and your local government is the official start of the 2010 Census, which depends on a complete and accurate address list. Your assistance in assuring the residents in your community are counted is crucial to a successful census.
“Census data
drive reapportionment and redistricting decisions and directly affect the
distribution of more than $300 billion in federal funding each year,” said Doug
Palmer, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. “In order to get money for public health, education, transportation
and much more, mayors across the country need to take the lead and work to get
a complete count of their city’s population in 2010 ¾ LUCA is the first step.”
In partnership with the Census
Bureau, local governments will use their area knowledge to improve the list of
addresses for housing units and group quarters, including growth from new
construction or annexation.
After registering for LUCA between
August 2007 and November 2007, participating governments will receive review
materials and will have 120 days to review and improve the address list.
The information contained in the
address list is confidential by law, and those governments that choose to
participate in the LUCA program will be provided an option to review the Census
Bureau’s address list. Like all census
employees, those who review and update a confidential address list are subject
to a jail term, a fine or both if they disclose any protected information.
After LUCA but prior to the 2010
Census questionnaire delivery, address listers will perform a field canvass
across the country to make sure the latest address list is correct. Using GPS mapping on hand-held computers,
workers will be able to update information electronically while out in the
field.
“The Census Bureau has moved beyond
being a ‘pen and paper’ census and is now utilizing new technology in order to
improve the speed and accuracy of census operations in the field,” said Census
Bureau Deputy Director Preston Jay Waite.
“We are mandated by the Constitution to count the population every 10
years, and with the reengineering of the 2010 Census, we will be well equipped
to fulfill this mandate.”
Dating back to the nation’s first
census in 1790, the 2010 Census will have one of the
shortest census questionnaires in the history of the