Beginning in mid-March 2010, Placer County residents will receive their Census 2010 forms. Those who have residential mailing addresses will receive their forms via the mail; those who do not will have the forms delivered to their residences. In fact, every residence in the country will receive a Census 2010 questionnaire, along with a postage-paid return envelope.

The importance of a complete count for the Census is multi-faceted. The Census count will help determine where approximately $400 billion in federal funding will be distributed each year. For Placer County residents, that translates to millions of dollars in federal funds for local communities. In addition to determining the local distribution of federal funding, the Census count also determines the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Census, required by the U.S Constitution and conducted every 10 years, aims to count all residents, both citizens and non-citizens. All information obtained by the Census is confidential and protected by U.S. Law.

“Placer County is working with the 2010 Census to ensure we get as complete and accurate of a count of citizens as possible,” said Supervisor Kirk Uhler, Chairman of the Placer County Board of Supervisors. “The Census is an important tool for local government elected officials that helps us make the right decisions based upon our current population and needs.”

The Placer County Complete County Committee has been working with local groups to ensure that all areas within the county are accurately included in the Census. Based on the last Census, the Tahoe Vista, Kings Beach and Sheridan areas of the county have been designated as hard to count.

Based on the Census, communities can receive federal funding for things such as:

• Hospitals
• Bridges, roads, tunnels and other public works projects
• Job training centers
• Emergency services
• Schools
• Senior centers

The 10 questions on the Census 2010 form only take a few minutes to answer. This Census is one of the shortest forms in Census history.

The Census Bureau asks that residents answer the 10 questions on the form and return it in the accompanying postage-paid envelope. Those residents who do not return the form will be visited in person by Census takers. A census taker is a person from your community who is hired by the Census Bureau to make sure that your neighborhood gets represented as accurately as possible. The census taker's primary responsibility is to collect census information from residences that have not sent back their 2010 Census form.

For additional information, visit Placer County’s Census 2010 website at http://www.placer.ca.gov/News/2010/February/Census.aspx