2010 Census Counts for Working Families

Will yours be counted?

Every ten years, the Constitution of the United States gives every individual in America the chance to do one thing that will shape his or her life and the lives of everyone they know at every level of government for the next decade - be counted in the census.

Being counted is easy to do. Ten questions in ten minutes is all it takes to complete the 2010 Census. Fill it out, mail it back in the postage-paid envelope, and that's it. Simple and patriotic!

Workers, Jobs, and the Census

It's important, too! Our allies at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice have published a helpful fact-sheet (PDF), which explains the many reasons why an accurate census count is important to working families, worker empowerment, and job creation. For example:

"North Carolina received over $261 million in census-allocated federal funds in 2008 alone for job-training and related programs. The amount of funding NC receives [...] is based on the number of people counted in the most recent US Census -- the more people counted by the Census, the more money NC receives [for these programs]."

The population count the 2010 Census provides will determine if our state and your community receives its fair share of federal resources and representation in the United States Congress. In fact, the results will be used to redraw electoral districts at every level of government.

A complete count also will help companies decide where to build new facilities, help governments decide where to offer new services like job training centers, and will determine state-by-state GDP per capita and poverty data - information used in everything from the provision of health care to school funding and more.

Census forms are arriving now

Check your mail box. Chances are your letter carrier has already delivered your 2010 Census form. Census day is April 1, 2010 - so be sure to fill it out and mail it back by then.

For more information about the 2010 Census, visit 2010.census.gov.