2010 Census

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Census Day was April 1, 2010. In Scott County Iowa, "Everybody Counts".

Why Fill Out the Census Form?

The U.S. Constitution (Article I, Section 2) mandates a headcount of everyone residing in the United States.

It’s important –

  • Census affects funding in Scott County
    Census data directly affect how more than $300 billion per year in federal and state funding is allocated to communities for neighborhood improvements, public health, education, transportation and much more. That's more than $3 trillion over a 10-year period. Spending just a few minutes to fill out your census form will help ensure Scott County community gets its fair share of federal and state funding.
  • Census affects your voice in Congress
    The census is also used to apportion seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and to redistrict state legislatures.
  • Census affects your representation in state and local government
    Census data are used to define legislature districts, school district assignment areas and other important functional areas of government.
  • Census informs your community's decisions
    The census is like a snapshot that helps define who we are as a nation. Data about changes in your community are crucial to many planning decisions, such as where to provide services for the elderly, where to build new roads and schools, or where to locate job training centers.

It’s easy –

  • The census questionnaire takes only a few minutes to answer and return by mail.  The form has 10 questions (less than it did 10 years ago).

It’s confidential –

  • Your responses are protected as confidential by law (Title 13, U.S. Code, Section 9). Only summary information is published; detailed identify data and individual responses are held strictly confidential.

How Am I Counted?

The Census Bureau will mail or deliver questionnaires to your house in March 2010. They’ll mail a second form to households that do not respond to the initial questionnaire.  Households that still do not respond will be called or visited by a Census worker. (Census workers can be identified by a census badge and bag.)

2010 Census Timeline: Key Dates

  • Fall 2009: Recruitment begins for census takers needed for peak workload in 2010.
  • February to March 2010: Census questionnaires are mailed or delivered to households.
  • April 1, 2010: Census Day
  • April to July 2010: Census takers visit households that did not return a questionnaire by mail.
  • December 2010: By law, Census Bureau delivers population counts to President for apportionment.
  • March 2011: By law, Census Bureau completes delivery of redistricting data to states.

Recruiting Census Workers

The Census Bureau will recruit nearly 3.8 million applicants for 2010 Census field operations. Of these applicants, the Census Bureau will hire about 1.4 million temporary employees. Some of these employees will be using GPS-equipped hand-held computers to update maps and ensure there is an accurate address list for the mailing of the census questionnaires.

Temporary part-time and full-time jobs available for Iowa will be available through the Kansas City Regional Office.

In 1790, the first census was taken by U.S. marshals on horseback and counted 3.9 million people. Census 2000 counted more than 281 million people.

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