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Census.govNewsroomReleases2010 Census

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**CB07-CN.01**
**Contact:**  Public Information Office(301) 763-3030 (phone)(301) 763-3762 (fax)(301) 457-1037 (TDD)PIO@census.gov

## FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2007

## State, Local and Tribal Governments Benefit by Early Participation in the 2010 Census

The U.S. Census Bureau has begun mailing informational     booklets to all state, local and tribal governments asking for their assistance     in providing updated addresses for their communities, part of an early, concerted     effort to make the 2010 Census as accurate as possible.

    A complete address list is needed to accurately count each person living in     the United States - including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

"The Census Bureau has a constitutional     mandate to count everyone living in the United States, count them only once,     and count them in the right place" said Preston Jay Waite, the Census     Bureau's deputy director and associate director for the decennial census.     "Developing an accurate and up-to-date Master Address File is the first     and most vital stage of the decennial census process, ensuring that people     residing at the addresses listed in the file will receive a census questionnaire     in 2010."

In partnership with the Census Bureau, state,     local and tribal governments will use their local knowledge to improve the     list of addresses for housing units and group quarters addresses, including     growth as a result of new construction or annexation.

The information contained in the address list     is confidential by law. Those governments that choose to participate in the     Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) program will then be provided an option     to review the Census Bureau's address list. If they choose this option,     they must take an oath to protect the information they review. Like all census     employees, those who review and update a confidential address list are subject     to a jail term, a fine or both if they disclose any protected information.

The Census Bureau will use the updated address     list to deliver the census questionnaires and ensure a successful 2010 Census,     the largest peacetime operation the federal government undertakes.

"Decennial census data directly affect     how more than $200 billion in federal grant funding is distributed to state,     local and tribal governments each year," said Bart Peterson, president     of the National League of Cities and mayor of Indianapolis, Ind. "Clearly,     the stakes are high, and participation in the LUCA program will ensure cities     and towns nationwide receive their fair share of funding for neighborhood     improvements, public health, education, transportation and much more.

By 2010, there will be more than 310 million     people living in an estimated 130 million households across the country who     must be counted in order to ensure seats are apportioned in the U.S. House     of Representatives and federal and state funding is distributed fairly. When     considered with the rise in immigration, an increasingly diverse population     and a record number of languages spoken by respondents, the need for an accurate     address list is crucial.

Dating back to the nation's first census     in 1790, the 2010 Census will have one of the shortest census questionnaires     in the history of the United States. Asking just seven or so questions of     all residents, the questionnaire will take most households about ten minutes     to complete and will result in a simpler, less costly and more accurate census.

The Census Bureau also is embracing new technology     to count the nation's growing and changing population. The Census Bureau     expects to use 500,000 hand-held computers for data collection in the 2010     Census. These secure devices will be used to update address lists and to conduct     follow-up interviews with people who do not complete and return a census questionnaire     by mail.

For more information, visit the 2010 Census     LUCA Program at <https://www.census.gov/geo/www/luca2010/luca.html>.

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