Blog

There are only four 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/

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.

While the Census is used determine how many representatives each state gets in Congress, it has many other uses like determining the distribution of government funds for things like schools and roads.

Right now a significant portion of North Carolina's population is deployed overseas as thousands of servicemen are currently in Iraq and Afghanistan.  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.

As a result some communities in North Carolina, like Cumberland or Onslow counties, will be undercounted and therefore receive less federal funding over the next 10 years.  That could lead to problems like overcrowded schools and more traffic on the roads.

Last week, Gov. Perdue sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, who oversees the Census, and to the North Carolina Congressional delegation suggesting that the Census Bureau change its methods to more accurately count deployed military populations. If accepted, this change would count deployed service members at their base of last assignment.  That means a more accurate count of military communities ensuring adequate federal and state funding.

The North Carolina Complete Count Committee began its work of promoting Census participation in the state on Friday with a training and work session at Shaw University in Raleigh.  Committee co-chairs Senator Don Davis and Representative Jimmy Love Sr. will coordinate the statewide committee made up of representatives from North Carolina's varied communities.  The Committee will reach out to all residents of the state through community, faith-based, ethnic, business, education, and governmental organizations to encourage everyone to complete and return their 2010 Census questionnaire.

Census forms will be mailed to every address in the state in mid-March.  The 2010 Census questionnaires are the shortest in Census history - containing only 10 questions requiring about 10 minutes to complete.  Census responses are confidential and are not shared with any agency or company.  Completing the Census questionnaires helps to bring federal resources and representation to our state.  Over $400 billion in federal funds are obligated each year based on Census data.  For more information on the North Carolina Complete Count Committee and the 2010 Census, visit http://2010census.nc.gov and the US Census Bureau 2010 Census at http://2010.census.gov.