Help move your community forward — Participate now!
 
(New York, N.Y.) – After an intense promotion and outreach campaign, the much-anticipated form is now arriving at 120 million households across the country. Lester A. Farthing, the U.S. Census Bureau’s New York regional director, urges everyone in the New York and New Jersey area to be counted. “When you receive the form, immediately fill it out and mail it back,” he says. “Your community is counting on you.” Farthing has a challenge for area residents: “Help your community exceed its 2000 mail response rates.” Response rates for communities will be tracked via an interactive “Take 10 Map” at www.2010census.gov.
 
The 2010 Census form is one of the shortest in history, with just 10 questions taking about 10 minutes to answer. But the impact of those questions lasts for 10 years. Mandated by the U.S. Constitution, the once-a-decade count of people living in the United States determines the fair apportionment of congressional representation among the states. Census results are also used to redraw state and local legislative boundaries. And it doesn’t stop there. Each year, based on census data, more than $400 billion in federal funding is distributed to state, local and tribal governments for health care, education, youth services and more.
 
Mailing back the questionnaire is the easiest and cheapest way to ensure a full and accurate count. “It’s a lot less expensive to get responses back by mail than it is to send census takers to knock on doors of households that failed to respond,” says Census Bureau Director Robert M. Groves. Every one percent increase in the mail response rate saves about $85 million in operational costs.
 
Census answers are confidential. Strict federal laws prohibit the Census Bureau from sharing personally identifiable information with any other government agency or law enforcement. All census staff are sworn for life to protect the confidentiality of the data.
 
For more information about the 2010 Census and the locations of Questionnaire Assistance Centers, Be Counted sites and language assistance visit www.2010census.gov.  Telephone Questionnaire Assistance is available in English (1-866-872-6868), Spanish (1-866-928-2010), Chinese (1-866-935-2010), Vietnamese (1-866-945-2010), Korean (1-866-955-2010) and Russian (1-866-965-2010). If you or someone you know speaks another language not listed, please check out the Bureau’s language assistance guides also available in 60 languages online.
 
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120 million households across the country have begun receiving 2010 Census questionnaires. The number of seats each state has in the House of Representatives, state and local redistricting, and the distribution of more than 400 billion dollars per year in federal aid to state and local governments all rely on census data. In order for communities to get their fair share, everyone must fill out and mail back their questionnaires. All responses are confidential, and no personally identifiable information will be shared with any other agencies. Visit www.2010census.gov for more information.
 
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2010 Census is here! Help your community get its fair share of federal funding for schools, hospitals and more: Fill it out & mail it back!
 
Media Inquiries
To schedule interviews with representatives from the New York Regional Census Center, please call the Media Department at 212-356-3100. The New York Region includes all five boroughs in New York City; Nassau, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester counties in New York; and Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties in New Jersey.
 
About the 2010 Census
The 2010 Census is a count of everyone living in the United States and is mandated by the U.S. Constitution to be conducted every 10 years. Census data are used to apportion congressional seats to states; to distribute more than $400 billion in federal funds to local, state, and tribal governments each year; and to make decisions about what community services to provide. The 2010 Census form will be one of the shortest in U.S. history and consists of just 10 questions, taking about 10 minutes to complete. Strict confidentiality laws protect the respondents and the information they provide.

• March 15-17:                 Mailing of 2010 Census form to most homes.
• March 19 – April 19:     Opening of Be Counted Sites / Questionnaire Assistance Centers in select neighborhood locations to provide extra forms and help to those who need it, as well as the nationwide Telephone Assistance Centers.
• March 22-24:                 Mailing of reminder postcards.
• March 29-31:                Census workers count homeless people at shelters, soup kitchens/food vans, and selected outdoor locations.
• April 1-10:                    Second mailing of 2010 Census form to many homes that have not returned first one.
• April 1, 2010:                Official Census Day
• April – July 2010:          Census workers visit households that have not mailed back their census form.
• Dec. 31, 2010:               Reporting of Census data to the President of the United States.

2010 CENSUS LINKS

• Main Page: http://www.2010census.gov
• NY Regional Website: http://www.census.gov/regions/new_york
• Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, more): http://2010.census.gov/2010census/involved/index.php 
• NY Regional Facebook ID: New York Regional Census Office
• 2010 Census Logos: http://2010.census.gov/partners/census-logos/
• Multimedia Center: http://2010.census.gov/mediacenter/index.php
• Images, b-roll and other tools: http://mediadownload.census.gov/

Local data: Data from the 2000 Census and American Community Survey are available at http://www.census.gov Enter the specific city or zip code into the “Population Finder” on the right hand side.