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## FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2006

## Census Bureau Selects Fayetteville, N.C., and Surrounding Area as a Census Dress Rehearsal Site in 2008

### Community to Gain 2,450 Temporary Jobs

Fayetteville and a surrounding                     nine-county area in North Carolina is one of two sites in                     the nation chosen to participate in a dress rehearsal for                     the 2010 Census.

The dress rehearsal will bring                     approximately 2,450 temporary jobs and provide residents of                     the Fayetteville area an opportunity to help the U.S. Census                     Bureau produce a more accurate count of the people and housing                     units in their community and across the nation in 2010.

 "Our principal goal is an accurate         decennial census," said Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon.   "In 2010, we will meet this goal through the reengineered census         process - a process that will use new technology, contain costs         and deliver more timely data." 

The Fayetteville area was selected                     because it presents a unique challenge to census takers with                     its mix of urban, suburban and rural areas and two military                     bases (Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base). The region is                     home to 29 different ethnic cultures, a significant American                     Indian population, the state's largest Hispanic community                     and hosts the state's fifth largest African-American community,                     based on Census 2000 statistics. 

Many of the methods the Census                     Bureau plans to use to make the 2010 Census simpler, more                     cost efficient and more accurate will be tested in the dress                     rehearsal. These operations include the use of GPS-equipped                     hand-held computers and mailing replacement questionnaires.

All housing units in the nine-county                     area (Chatham, Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery,                     Moore, Richmond and Scotland) will receive a census short                     form that takes about 10 minutes to complete.

The 2010 Census will be a short-form-only                     census. The nationwide implementation of the American Community                     Survey in 2005 replaced the need for a long-form questionnaire                     in 2010.

These improvements will increase                     overall response rates and enhance accuracy. San Joaquin County,                     Calif., was selected as the second dress rehearsal site.

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Measuring America's People, Places, and Economy

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