2010 Census - Why Everyone Counts and What We Must Do
Census News (links to full articles)
- 2010 Census Watch: As the Nonresponse Followup Proceeds ... Jun 2010
- Charities Spend Millions On Census Outreach Mar 2010
- Census: Battleground for Money and Justice Feb 2010
- Warning Wisconsin Could Lose Population Count Due to Snowbird Confusion in Census, Help Needed, Job Opportunities. Dec 2009
Census Overview
What it is: The U.S. Census counts every resident in the United States, regardless of age or citizenship status, and the Constitution requires the Census to take place every 10 years. Originally designed to ensure equal representation in political districts, the Census is now used to determine funding at state and federal levels.
Why it's important: The 2010 Census will help local communities across the country receive more than $400 billion in federal funds each year for the next 10 years – or over $4 trillion - for things such as emergency services; hospitals, bridges, tunnels and other-public works projects; schools, job training centers; and senior centers. In addition, residents themselves have used Census data to support community initiatives involving environmental legislation, quality-of-life issues, and consumer advocacy.
The problem: Lower income and more mobile populations, precisely those served by many nonprofits, are frequently undercounted by the Census, leading to underfunding of critical services and infrastructure and under-representation in government.
Our answer: Nonprofits, which are often considered a trusted resource, can play an important role in making sure their communities are fully and accurately counted by educating these communities on the importance of the Census and how to participate.
What you can do: Make sure everyone is counted.
The Census is around the corner: forms are being mailed mid-March. At stake is a decade of federal funding, political representation, and public and private investment. Go to NonprofitsCount, the most comprehensive website on the 2010 Census for the nonprofit community. There you can:
- Request a free Census Toolkit that will help you ensure your constituents are counted.
- Stay informed about what's going on in Wisconsin.
What's at Stake - By the numbers:
- $4 trillion
- Federal funds distributed to the states based on Census data over the next 10 years. $5.8 billion
- Census-based federal funds Wisconsin received in 2007 alone!
- $1,032.55
- Amount each person counted in the 2000 Census earned for Wisconsin in federal funds in 2007
2010 Census Watch: As the Nonresponse Followup Proceeds ...
As of June 13, the US Census Bureau has completed and checked-in about 44 million enumerator forms of the approximately 47 million targeted for this operation, making the operation about 93% complete. The Bureau is somewhat ahead of schedule and certainly under-budget. Director Robert Groves states that this is a testament to the fine skills of the 2010 Census field staff. Jun 2010
Charities Spend Millions On Census Outreach
Charitable foundations and nonprofits are taking an unusually active role this year in trying to get an accurate census count. They say the people they serve have the most to benefit but are also among the least likely to participate. Mar 9, 2010
Census: Battleground for Money and Justice
Suppose the U.S. Census had forgotten to include Chicago? In 2000, the U.S. Census missed three million people, the approximate population of Chicago. If we had missed three million people at random, maybe it wouldn't have made a big difference. But most of those we missed are poor people, people of color and children. In other words: the Census missed much of the nonprofit sector's communities. Feb 17, 2010
Warning Wisconsin Could Lose Population Count Due to Snowbird Confusion in Census, Help Needed, Job Opportunities.
The results of the census are used to determine Congressional seats, legislative districts, and the distribution of over $400 billion in federal funds. Localities use census data to site hospitals and schools. Businesses use them to determine where to build new plants and site stores. “Wisconsin already ranks low in receiving federal dollars,” says Kaminski, “We don’t want an undercount to exacerbate that situation.” Dec 16, 2009
