Census 2010 Plans Well Underway

It's hard to believe, but the Census Bureau is already gearing up for the 2010 Census. The Census is mandated by the Constitution and participation is required by law, but response rates are still low in some areas of the country. In the 2000 census, Iowa had the nation's highest response rate at 76% (in our area, Polk County had 74%, Dallas County had 76%, and Warren County had 77%). This year the Census Bureau is hoping to boost that rate by giving everyone the same 10-question survey, among the shortest surveys since the first Census in 1790. Beginning in mid-March 2010, more than 120 million questionnaires will be delivered to U.S. residential addresses. The Census Bureau has also announced that more than 13 million questionnaires will be bilingual (English - Spanish) for the first time.

As you can imagine, preparing for and conducting the Census is an enormous project. Last spring, Census Bureau workers walked every street in the nation to match actual residential addresses with those provided in lists from the U.S. Postal Service and local governments. The Census Bureau has reported that it will hire nearly 1.4 million people to conduct the 2010 Census, including follow up with households that do not return their mailed questionnaire.

The City of West Des Moines is assisting in this year's Complete Count campaign by helping to identify and organize resources for the Census Bureau and by promoting completion of Census 2010 by our residents. It is certainly to our benefit to have every resident of West Des Moines - and Iowa - counted, as population is a common criteria for financial assistance, grant funding, and representation in federal government.