Census Day has passed, but the US Census Bureau is still busy conducting the 2010 Census count.  Census workers – or enumerators – are visiting addresses that did not return a Census form and will continue their follow-up visits into July.  Some people completed and returned their Census form, but they are still being visited by a Census worker or getting a Census Bureau phone call.  While there are a number of reasons you may receive follow-up contact by the US Census Bureau if you returned your Census form, here are a few of the more likely reasons.

You may be visited by a Census worker if …

-    The US Census Bureau received your mailed in Census form too late to remove your address from the follow-up visit list. Since some forms get lost in the mail, Census enumerators are trained to ask the Census questions at every address they are assigned. 
-    There was missing or conflicting information on your mailed in Census form. 
-    The Census Bureau can not match the address you provided either on a “Be Counted” form or over the phone with their master address list.

You may get a phone call from the Census Bureau if …

-    The number you provided for how many people live in that address on April 1 does not match the number of people for whom you provided information. 
-    Your Census form indicates that additional people were staying at the address on April 1 but were not included in the household’s count.
-    The Census Bureau suspects that they received duplicate information about a housing unit or individual.  A Census worker will follow-up to make sure people are not counted twice.

These follow-up contacts by the US Census Bureau are being made to make sure that the 2010 Census count is accurate -  that everyone is counted once and in the place where they usually live.

The US Census Bureau mailed 2010 Census questionnaires to over 4 million households in North Carolina.  Nearly 30% of those questionnaires have not been returned. 

While it’s never too late to return your Census form or call the Telephone Questionnaire Assistance Center, if you have not done so by now you will be visited by a Census worker between May 1 and July 27.

The Census workers who will conduct the door-to-door interviews are people from your community who have been hired and trained by the US Census Bureau.  Each Census worker will have a US Census Bureau identification badge and will be carrying a US Census Bureau shoulder bag.

Census workers – or enumerators – will only visit those addresses that did not return a Census form, and they will only ask those questions that are on the 2010 Census form.  Census workers will visit each address multiple times and will leave a door hanger after each visit with a telephone number.  This number allows residents to schedule a convenient time to participate in the Census.  Participation is quick, and your answers are confidential and protected by Title 13 of the US Code. 

Contact the Local Census Office for your county if you have questions about the Census workers in your area.

Whether you mail in your Census form or talk with a Census worker, your participation in the 2010 Census is important to future funding, representation, and planning in your community. 

April 16 is last day to mail back your 2010 Census questionnaire and not be visited by a Census worker. 

The US Constitution requires a Census count of all residents every 10 years, and the US Census Bureau mailed 2010 Census forms to over 4 million addresses in North Carolina to count everyone residing in our state.  Every Census form has not been returned, and those households that have not returned their Census questionnaire after today will be visited by Census workers beginning in May.

Census takers are local people - your neighbors - who have been hired and trained by the US Census Bureau to go door-to-door to those homes that have not returned a Census form and collect the Census information.

Census takers will be carrying a US Census Bureau bag and will have US Census Bureau identification badges.  The Census takers will visit non-responding home multiple times, and they will leave a door hanger after each visit.  The door hanger has a phone number on it that you can call to schedule a visit and be counted on the 2010 Census.

If you have not returned your Census form, please cooperate with the Census taker and  help your community by participating in the 2010 Census.

Today marks the two-day countdown for North Carolina residents to mail back their 2010 Census form.  Households that return their forms after Friday, April 16, will be visited by Census workers during the door to door collection of Census information beginning on May 1.

Each 1 percent increase of the national mail participation rate saves taxpayers $85 million by not sending census workers door to door from nonresponsive households. It costs 42 cents for people to mail back their form, compared with an average of $57 for census takers to visit each home and collect census data. 

In North Carolina, about 30% of households have not returned their 2010 Census Questionnaire yet.

There are only five days left to mail back your Census form.  If you don't have a form:

Call Today!

Give your answers over the phone or request a form be sent to where you live.   Do it today, to ensure you can mail it back in time to avoid a census taker coming to your door.  Don't be left out of the count for your community.

Telephone Questionnaire Assistance (TQA)

·    ENGLISH - 1-866-872-6868
·    Chinese: 1-866-935-2010
·    Korean: 1-866-955-2010
·    Russian: 1-866-965-2010
·    Spanish: 1-866-928-2010
·    Vietnamese: 1-866-945-2010
·    TDD (Telephone Display Device for the hearing impaired): 1-866-783-2010

You can also pickup a Census Form at a "Be Counted Center."  Find the "Be Counted Center nearest you at

http://2010.census.gov/2010census/take10map/

2010 Census forms have been mailed to over 4 million addresses in North Carolina, and follow-up forms have been mailed in some areas to make sure everyone is counted.  All of these forms have not been returned.

In less than 2 weeks the US Census Bureau will begin the process of sending Census workers to addresses that have not returned their questionnaires.  This non-response follow-up is the most expensive part of the Census.  For everyone one percent of Census forms returned by mail, the US Census Bureau saves $85 million. 

It is not too late to complete and return your questionnaire.  The US Census Bureau invites local partners to conduct "March to the Mailbox" neighborhood activities on April 10 to encourage those who haven't already returned their 2010 Census questionnaire to mail it back today.  Neighborhood activities could be parades, rallies, walks, or any other activity to promote participation in the Census.  March to the Mailbox is aimed at those neighborhoods that have shown low Census participation in the past, but anyone who has not returned their Census form can complete and return their form and be a part of helping their community. 

If you have already mailed back your Census form, thank you!

For more on the March to the Mailbox, visit the 2010 Census website.

April 1 – Census Day – has come and gone, and it is important that everyone be a part of the 2010 Census count.

What do you do if you have misplaced your Census questionnaire?

First, remember that April 1 is NOT a deadline or a due date.  You can still participate in the Census.

The 2010 Census is a count of everyone where they reside.  While most addresses were mailed questionnaires in mid-March, “group quarters” such as college dorms, military barracks, residential homes, prisons, etc. are counted by the US Census Bureau in a slightly different process that began on April 1 and runs through mid-May.  If you reside in a group quarters situation, the Census is coming to you.

If you live in a traditional residence such as a house or apartment and need a replacement 2010 Census questionnaire, you can participate in the Census through different options. 

You can wait.  The US Census Bureau is mailing replacement forms to some areas, and you may receive a replacement form in your mailbox.  Census workers will also begin visiting addresses that did not return a Census questionnaire in May, and you can participate in the 2010 Census by answering the questions with the Census worker.

You can call.  If you do not want to wait, Questionnaire Assistance Centers and Be Counted sites can also provide you with replacement forms.  Currently the Telephone Questionnaire Assistance Center can answer questions about completing your Census form, but beginning on April 12 the TQAC can have replacement forms mailed to your home.  You can reach the telephone Questionnaire Assistance Center at the following numbers:

English           1-866-872-6868
Chinese         1-866-935-2010
Korean            1-866-955-2010
Russian          1-866-965-2010
Spanish          1-866-928-2010
Vietnamese    1-866-945-2010
TDD                 1-866-783-2010 (for hearing impaired)

You can visit.  There are over 1,000 Questionnaire Assistance Centers located in public areas such as public libraries and community centers across North Carolina.  You may stop by your nearest QAC to pick up a replacement form.  Visit the Take 10 Map to locate the nearest Questionnaire Assistance Center in your neighborhood.

The goal of the 2010 Census is to count everyone, once, where they usually reside.  The Census also counts military populations deployed overseas. Under the current Census methods, deployed military personnel will be counted this year using military records and assigned to total state populations.  Deployed soldiers would not be assigned to a specific county or community within a state.

Military communities in North Carolina would be undercounted through the current Census process, and local governments in these areas would therefore be under-funded and under-represented.

Governor Perdue sent a letter to US Commerce Secretary Locke, who oversees the US Census Bureau, and to North Carolina’s Congressional delegation suggesting that the Census Bureau alter its method of counting deployed military populations.  If accepted this change would count deployed military personnel at their base of last assignment and mean a more accurate count of military communities and appropriate funding and representation for these communities.

On March 31, 2010, the North Carolina Congressional delegation wrote a joint letter to President Obama supporting the recommendation and encouraging him to support North Carolina’s recommendation.

April 1 is Census Day, and many people wonder what that means. 

April 1, 2010 is the reference date for answers on the 2010 Census questionnaires.  Census forms were mailed to over 4 million households in North Carolina, and every household is dynamic.  When the Census questionnaire asks for age, everyone can answer accurately using April 1, 2010 as a reference.

April 1, 2010 is NOT a deadline or due date!   

You do not have to wait until April 1, 2010 to return your Census form, and your 2010 Census form is not late or invalid if you return it after April 1, 2010.  If you delay returning your Census form for a while after April 1, your address may be added to the list of addresses that did not return their form; and a Census worker may visit your address to ask you the Census questions.  If you do not want to be visited by a Census worker, complete and return your Census questionnaire today.

If you have questions about your 2010 Census questionnaire, call the telephone Questionnaire Assistance Center at the following numbers:

English           1-866-872-6868
Chinese         1-866-935-2010
Korean           1-866-955-2010
Russian          1-866-965-2010
Spanish          1-866-928-2010
Vietnamese    1-866-945-2010
TDD                  1-866-783-2010 (for hearing impaired)

Or visit the Take 10 Map to locate the nearest Questionnaire Assistance Center in your neighborhood.

The 2010 Census questionnaires have been mailed to over 4 million households in North Carolina.  Funding and representation for local communities relies on every resident completing and returning their Census form.  Responses to the Census are the foundation for future services, infrastructure, and development.

The 2010 Census forms are now in our hands, and the US Census Bureau released an online mapping tool to show well our communities are completing and returning their questionnaires.

The Take 10 Map allows everyone to see what percent of delivered 2010 Census questionnaires have been returned.  Daily updated participation rates are available for the nation, state, counties, municipalities, and census tracts.  By clicking on an area, users see information comparing Census participation data for that area, the state, and the nation.  Participation information also compares the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census. 

Areas are challenged to improve their participation from the last Census and compete against their neighbors for the highest participation honors. 

A participation rate tracking widget allows users to include dynamic updates of area participation rates on their website.

The Take 10 Map also lists local Questionnaire Assistance Centers for anyone needing assistance completing their 2010 Census form.