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2010 Census Information

US Census Bureau

Census In Schools

Timeline

March 15-21 - 1st Mailing
April 1 - 2nd Mailing
April 15 - Census Takers Sent To Addresses with No Response

Edwards County Complete Count Campaign

I am sure most of you have heard that the Census will soon be taking place. But you may be wondering what all the commotion is about. The census is a process of counting everyone who resides in the United States. It takes place every ten years. Why does the government want to know how many people are living here? That is simple.....the census is used to determine how many Congressional Seats each District is allowed in the House of Representatives as well as how many electoral votes each State is allowed for Presidential Elections. Census information is also used to determine State Senate and House districts. So you can see, based on this information, how important a correct count is to our community. If we undercount the residents residing here we will not get fair representation in State or Federal government.

But there are other reasons why the Census is so important. The federal government allocates 400 billion dollars to states and communities every year and the amount of funding we get is determined by Census data. Here are just a few funding streams that are determined by Census Data:

Food Programs for child care and adult care facilities
School lunch and breakfast programs
Special Education
Colleges and Universities
ESL, GED, Vocational Training and Literacy Programs
Title I funding for Schools
Services for the Disadvantaged like Medicaid, Child Care Supplements, Weatherization Programs, Maternal and Child Health Programs, Programs for the Aging, Children's Insurance Program, TANF, Foster Care, Head Start, HIV Care, Foster CAre, and Child Support Enforcement
Grants to Communities for Water and Sewer upgrades, Fire and Ambulance Buildings, Senior and Community Centers, Housing Programs
Law Enforcement Systems Upgrades and Drug Prevention Programs
Planning and Construction of our Highways

It is estimated that in the 2000 Census only 67% of Edwards County residents mailed back their census form. Our communities have missed out on hundreds of thousands of dollars over the last 10 years due to low Census counts. This year, please mail in your form and encourage your friends, neighbors, elderly relatives and those who may have a literacy or language barrier to complete the form. The form is only 10 questions and is confidential and no data from the Census can be shared with any other government agency like the IRS, INS, FBI, Child Support Enforcement, or collection agencies.

The Edwards County Economic Development Office and several other areas of the county will be designated as Questionarre Assistance Centers in the event you need assistance in filling out the form. For more information about assistance centers or to help get the word out in the community about the Census please contact Linette Miller at 620-659-2711.