Census 2010

What is the Census? 

What is happening in Bonney Lake?

• Support the goals for 2010 Census complete count, and will disseminate 2010 Census information to encourage those in our community to participate;
• Encourage people to become informed as to the purposes and uses of the census to raise overall awareness of the 2010 Census and ensure a full and accurate census;
• Cooperate and coordinate with community based groups to advocate on behalf of the 2010 Census;
• Support census takers as they help our community complete an accurate count;
• Call upon Congress and the Census Bureau to collect and distribute useful and timely community information as a result of the decennial census process.

• Data obtained from the 2010 Census will determine how many representatives a state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives.
• Every year, the federal government can allocate more than $300 billion to states and communities based, in part, on census data.
• With information collected during the 2010 Census as a foundation, coupled with population estimates, economic data, and results from the American Community Survey, the nation will see how significantly the U.S. has changed since 2000.
• March 30, 2009 is the official start date for address canvassing and the operation will continue through mid-July 2009.
• The addresses of 145 million housing units need to be verified.
• 140,000 address canvassers have been hired to complete address canvassing operations.
• More than 250 national organizations have signed on as 2010 Census national partners (as of March 15, 2009).

While looking ahead to the 2010 Census, it is important to remember the significant place the decennial census holds in American history.

• Census History: As mandated by the Constitution (Article 1, Section 2: "The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct"), the Census is taken every ten years and is directed with counting the full population of the United States. The 2010 Census will mark the 23rd census of the United States. The first census was taken in 1790 and estimated the population of the United States at 3,929,214.
• 10 Questions, approximately 10 Minutes to Complete: The decennial census questionnaire has gone through significant changes over the years. With one of the shortest questionnaires in history, the 2010 Census questionnaire contains only a few simple questions—asking for such information as name, relationship to head of household, gender, age and date of birth, race, and whether respondents own or rent their home. This simple, short form takes just a few minutes to complete and return by mail.
• It's the Law: Responses to the 2010 Census questionnaire are required by law. All responses are used for statistical purposes only, and all are strictly confidential.

2010 Census: New Technology and Approach

• The "long form" has been replaced by the American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is mailed to three million households each year and allows the Census Bureau to collect current “long-form” data – including accurate social and economic data – while allowing the bureau to conduct a “short-form” census every 10 years.
• Accuracy of census address maps will be improved by the implementation of a digital geospatial database called the Master Address File/Topological Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing Accuracy Improvement Project (MAF/TIGER): .
• The information gathered also helps to advance several other industries, including the nation’s GPS technology.
• Address canvassers will be using GPS-equipped hand-held computers to update maps and ensure there is an accurate address list for the delivery of the census questionnaires.