U.S. census just around the corner

— No fooling - April 1, 2010, is the official U.S. census day.

Census forms will be mailed March 10, said Lou Anderson, U.S. Census Bureau manager for Arkansas. Residents should complete the forms and return them within a day or two, he advised.

"If people mail in their cards, it saves some serious tax dollars," Anderson said.

The form takes less than 10 minutes to complete, and participation is required by law, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Address canvassing, in which a census worker visits homes, is conducted when people do not return their cards.

The canvassing is scheduled to be completed by May 1.

"Anybody who forgets to mail (the card) back, we'll be dropping by," Anderson said.

The 2010 census has only eight to nine questions on it,unlike the lengthy special census that was completed in 2008 for the city of Bella Vista.

One of the needed steps in the process of a census is finished.

"We found every house in the state of Arkansas," Anderson said, referring to the completed address verification.

The Census Bureau is now working on group-quarters validation - determining high-density residential buildings, such as nursing homes and college dorms, to ensure that every person is counted.

The two managers for the northwest Arkansas office, based in Springdale, have been selected and are training for their responsibilities, Anderson said.

Federal law protects personal information.

The census data is used to determine congressional seats, as well as the distribution of federal money to local and state governments.

More information may be found at www.census.gov.

News, Pages 8 on 09/30/2009

Upcoming Events