Census Bureau Says It's Not Too Late to Mail Back 2010 Census Forms
Nation's Participation Rate on Census Day is 54 Percent
April 1, 2010 - As elected officials and community leaders across the nation take part in "Census Day" activities to increase local participation in the 2010 Census, the U.S. Census Bureau today announced that 54 percent of the nation's estimated 134 million households have mailed back their census forms.
While April 1 is officially designated as Census Day, the Census Bureau will continue to accept 2010 Census questionnaires by mail through mid-April. Beginning May 1, census workers will begin going door to door to households that failed to mail back their forms -- a massive operation that costs taxpayers an average of $57 per household versus the 42 cents it takes to get a response back by mail.
The Census Bureau is urging communities nationwide to take charge of their 2010 Census mail participation rates. Anyone can visit the 2010 Census Web site to see how well their state, county or neighborhood is participating in the census. From the same interactive rate map, anyone can also embed a Participation Rate Tracker "widget" on their Web site that will display an area's latest participation rates.