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Residents are encouraged to promptly mail back their forms, because census data are used to determine how more than $400 billion of federal funding is spent annually on community services, including hospitals, schools, senior centers, roads and job training centers.
"Nationwide, about 65 percent of households have mailed back their census forms. In 2000, the mail participation rate was 72 percent," U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Groves said. "Residents who fail to mail back their forms by April 16 may be visited by a census worker in May."
The 2010 Census is a count of everyone living in the United States and is mandated by the U.S. Constitution. Census data are used to apportion congressional seats to states, to distribute more than $400 billion in federal funds to tribal, state and local governments each year and to make decisions about what community services to provide. The 2010 Census form is one of the shortest in U.S. history, consisting of 10 questions, taking about 10 minutes to complete. Strict confidentiality laws protect the respondents and the information they provide.