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 District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

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.

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 July 2007 and January 2008, 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 United States. Asking just seven questions, including name, sex, age, race, ethnicity, relationship and whether you own or rent your home, the questionnaire will take respondents only about 10 minutes to fill out.

For more information, visit the 2010 Census LUCA Program at <http://www.census.gov/geo/www/luca2010/luca.html>, or call the Census Bureau Geography Division at 866-511-5822 (LUCA). Tell them, “I would like to participate in LUCA,” and they will instruct you regarding what to do next.