BROWARD COUNTY – Broward County residents might wonder why filling out the 2010 Census matters so much.
“Answering the Census is one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your community,” said Broward County Commissioner, Ilene Lieberman, chair of the Census 2010 Complete Count Committee. “The questions that are asked help make sure everyone is counted, paints a portrait of America, and is used for planning and funding decisions.”
Filling Out the Census is Vitally Important
The information from the Census is vital because governments use the data to allocate billions of dollars in funding for education, public safety, housing, roads and bridges, human services and community services.
Community organizations use Census information to develop social service programs for seniors and children, and businesses use it to identify where to locate factories, shopping centers, movie theaters, banks and offices, all of which can lead to new jobs.
Census results are also used to determine representation in the federal and state legislatures. Under-counting leads to under-representation.
The loss in funding for government services for just one uncounted person in Broward County was estimated at $1,300 by the 2000 Census Monitoring Board. Nearly 20,000 Broward County residents were uncounted in the 2000 Census, resulting in an estimated loss in funding of $26 million.
Broward County Commissioner, Ilene Lieberman at Census Kick Off Rally last year.
The 2010 Census will be one of the shortest and simplest in U.S. history. It will ask just 10 basic questions:
Number of people living in home
Owned or rented
Telephone number
Relationship to householder
Name
Gender
Age
Date of Birth
Ethnic origin
Race
The 2010 Census does NOT ask about bank account information, salary or income, citizenship or immigration status, and will never require a Social Security number. For more information, please visit www.broward.org/Census2010.
