United States Census 2010

What is the Census?

• The Census is a count of every person residing in the United States; and includes people of all ages, races, ethnic groups, citizens and non-citizens. The Census is conducted every 10 years and forms the basis for redistricting congressional districts and distributing more than $400 billion dollars in Federal payments to states and local governments. Click on "fact sheet" for more general information about the census. Click on “Learn More” for additional information on how the census will be conducted.

How Does it Work?

• In mid– March, the U.S. Census Bureau will mail questionnaires to each household in the U.S. These forms are to be filled out and returned by mail directly to the Census Bureau by April 1. (Click on “Timeline” for other key dates and activities.)
• All data collected is held in the strictest confidence by the U.S. Census Bureau and CANNOT be shared with any other Federal, state or local agency or non-federal business. This confidentiality is guaranteed by law and was upheld by the Supreme Court. (Click on “Confidentiality of Data” for more details.)

Why is it Important?

• A complete count of all people residing in Howard County is critical to funding many of the services you receive from the county government.
• Howard County stands to lose $700 per person/per year for Federal funding for each person not counted. Therefore, we will be partnering with community organizations to get the word out to “Get Counted.” (Click on “Complete Count Committee” for details on what makes up the committee and what they do.
• As with many government initiatives, there may be some people trying to profit from this activity through scams and schemes. You must be aware of what information the Census will NOT ask for, like Social Security numbers or bank account information. (Click on “Guard Against Scams” to learn more about protecting yourself against scams and how to report something you think is suspicious.)

Other Links

The US Census Bureau website contains detailed information about how the census will work. This information is found on the “2010 Census Home” tab on their main website. The “Partnership” tab has a full library of downloadable promotional materials in many different languages and downloadable curriculum for the "Census in Schools" promotion.

The main features of the Maryland Census website has interactive mapping to identify traditionally hard to count populations, and quick links to the most common promotional materials.