The 2010 census was supposed to have been high-tech, equipping field workers with handheld computers to enter data from people who didn't return their census forms. That didn't work out, and now the Census Bureau says field workers will use pencils and paper to follow up with those people. Read the
press release.
Get local. Census Director Steve H. Murdock
testified before a congressional subcommittee that all 12 regional census centers and the Puerto Rico office are open.
Click here to find your State Data Center.
How important is the census to local government funding? Did your community consider itself accurately represented by the 2000 census? Who was missing? Has it mattered?
Even Murdock pointed out how important the local effort is to the national count
when he said:
The census is not merely a federal effort. We rely on the
participation and cooperation of literally thousands of communities
throughout the United States. Reaching the residents of these
communities, especially the hard-to-count, is the ultimate goal of the
census and the fulfillment of the constitutional obligation. Our
partners -- advisory committees, national organizations, the faith-based
community, elected officials, community and neighborhood leaders, and
even the go-to person at the corner shop -- are integral to this effort. The Census Bureau is planning an integrated communication, promotional,
and marketing effort, incorporating partnerships and advertising, to
reach every community.
