U.S. flag
              An official website of the United States government Skip to main content   end of header Census.gov Newsroom Releases 2010 Census
 Newsroom Archive
 Skip left menu navigation
 About the Newsroom
 				Facts for Features
 				**News Releases**
 				Press Kits
 				Tip Sheets
 Release Information CB10-CR.53 **Contact:**  Public Information Office
(301) 763-3030 (phone)
(301) 763-3762 (fax)
(301) 457-1037 (TDD)PIO@census.gov
 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2010 2010 Census National Participation Rate Surpasses 50 Percent Mark - We Are Halfway There America! More than 50 percent of the nation's households have returned their 2010 Census forms, just weeks after about 134 million questionnaires were mailed or hand-delivered to homes across the country, according to mail participation rates recorded Tuesday. Leading the way were five central and upper Midwestern states: South Dakota (62 percent), North Dakota (61 percent), Nebraska (60 percent), Iowa (58 percent) and Wisconsin (58 percent). "We're off to a great start, but we still have a ways to go to before getting a complete count of the nation," Census Bureau Director Robert Groves said. "If everyone in the nation took the 10 minutes needed to fill out and mail back their 2010 Census form, we could cut the cost of conducting the census by $1.5 billion." The emphasis on encouraging mail participation in the census is a practical one. For every percentage point increase in mail response, taxpayers will save an estimated $85 million in federal funds. Those funds would otherwise be required to send census takers to collect census responses in person from households that don't mail back the form. After the 2000 Census, the Census Bureau was able to return $305 million in savings to the federal Treasury because mail rates exceeded expectations -- a move the Census Bureau would like to repeat in 2010. Groves expressed concern about several states with areas that have some of the nation's lowest mail participation rates. Parts of Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana lag behind the rest of the country. The participation rate in Miami, for example, was 38 percent on Tuesday. "There's still time to fill out and mail back the census questionnaire," Groves. "Every household that fails to send back their census form by mail must be visited by a census taker starting in May -- at a significant taxpayer cost. The easiest and best way to be counted in the census is to fill out and return your form by mail." The Census Bureau is urging communities nationwide to take charge of their census mail participation rates. Anyone can visit the 2010 Census Web site to see how well their state, county or neighborhood is participating in the census. From the same interactive rate map, anyone can also embed a Participation Rate Tracker "widget" on their Web site that will display an area's latest participation rates. How to Embed a 2010 Census Mail Participation Rate Tracker Widget on Your Web Site: To find and embed a state-wide rate: On the main map page (http://2010.census.gov/2010census/take10map/), click on “View Participation Rate.”
  Enter a zip code or a county or city followed by a state, e.g., “22206” or “New York City, NY,” and click FIND.
  The map will center; click on the chosen state.
  A bubble will appear showing the current 2010 rate and the 2000 rate. A “Track Participation Rate” link will be in the bubble. Click on the link and follow the instructions for embedding tracker in your Web site.
  Note: To find and embed rates for a lower level of geography, click on the “Zoom In” link.
  CONNECT WITH US

Information Quality
                    Data Linkage Infrastructure
                    Data Protection and Privacy Policy
                    Accessibility      
                    FOIA
                    Inspector General
                    No FEAR Act
                    U.S. Department of Commerce
                    USA.gov
                   Measuring America's People, Places, and Economy