Open your door to our future -- Welcome the Census Taker

On May 1st, census takers will begin going door-to-door to roughly 1/3 of households that did not mail back their forms. They also will verify that housing units indicated as "unoccupied" to us by the postal service or others are indeed unoccupied and vacant.

By being counted you are standing up for what your community's needs are. That's why census takers are so important. A census taker is a person from your community who is hired by the Census Bureau to make sure that your neighborhood gets represented as accurately as possible. The census taker's primary responsibility is to collect census information from residences. Most of these residences have not sent back their 2010 Census form.

•The Census Bureau provides the census taker with a binder containing all of the addresses that didn't send back a filled out census form.
•The census taker then visits all of those addresses and records the answers to the questions on the form.
•If no one answers at a particular residence, a census taker will visit a home up to three times and attempt to reach the household by phone three times. The census worker will leave a double-sided (English and Spanish) NOTICE of VISIT in the doorway that includes a phone number for the resident to schedule an appointment.
The census taker will ONLY ask the questions that appear on the census form.

Do I have to talk to the census taker?

Yes. Your participation in the 2010 Census is vital and required by law, (Section 221, of Title   13 of the U.S. Code). However, rather than rely on criminal charges, the Census Bureau is very  successful in getting participation by explaining the importance of the questions we ask and how the information benefits our communities.
Your privacy and confidentiality is our priority:

The census taker who collects your information is sworn for life to protect your data under Federal Law Title 13. Those who violate the oath face criminal penalties: Under federal law, the penalty for unlawful disclosure is a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment for up to 5 years, or both.

About the form:

It's easy. One of the shortest census forms in history, the 2010 Census form asks 10 questions and takes about 10 minutes to complete. The individual in whose name the housing unit is rented or owned should complete the form on behalf of every person living there, both relatives and nonrelatives.

It's important. Census data are used to reapportion seats in Congress and ensure proper district representation in state and local governments. Information from the census helps determine locations for child-care and senior centers, new roads, hospitals, schools and community centers.

It's safe. By law, the U.S. Census Bureau cannot share respondents' answers with anyone, including other federal agencies and law enforcement entities. All Census Bureau employees take an oath of nondisclosure and are sworn for life to protect the confidentiality of the data. The penalty for unlawful disclosure is a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment of up to five years, or both.

For more information about the 2010 Census visit www.2010census.gov.