April 1st is Census Day – Have You Returned Your 2010 Census Form?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 1, 2010
Contact: Howard Sutter 714.834.6203 office

April 1st is Census Day – Have You Returned Your 2010 Census Form?

(Santa Ana, CA) — April 1st is Census Day, as the effort to gain a complete count of the Orange County population reaches a critical point.

“For every 100 people who don’t return their Census form, the Commerce Department estimates that Orange County may lose $1.3 million in funding for vital services over the next ten years,” said Janet Nguyen, Board Chair and First District Supervisor. “In these difficult economic times, it is more important than ever that people return their Census forms to ensure that Orange County receives its fair share of Federal funding.”

Households that do not return Census forms will receive visits from Census workers who will collect the same information requested on the mailed form. Instead of the cost of postage to return the form, the Census Bureau says it costs $54 to send a Census worker out to a household that has not returned a form.

Orange County has reached a 51% return by mail rate, slightly ahead of the response rate for the State of California and several neighboring counties. Some local communities, such as Laguna Woods, have already topped a 70% response rate.

More information on the Census and local response rates is available at http://2010.census.gov.

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