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Today marks the four-day countdown for residents across America to mail back their 2010 Census questionnaires. Households that return their forms after Friday, April 16, may still be visited by census workers, who begin going door-to-door to collect census responses on May 1.

Residents are encouraged to promptly mail back their forms, but for those who have lost or did not receive a census form in the mail, there is help available. Households can pick up a Be Counted form at nearly 39,000 community locations nationwide. These replacement forms are available in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Russian. To find a Be Counted site, visit 2010census.gov (see "Need Help with Your Form") or search the Take 10 map at http://2010.census.gov/2010census/take10map/.

"Nationwide, about 66% 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."

ABOUT THE 2010 CENSUS

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.