Census 2010 Gears Up Across the Region

Community representatives from across the Central Texas region met with Census employees at the Williamson County local Census office in Georgetown last week to report on outreach efforts. Members of Complete Count Committees are informing their communities about the 2010 Census prior to the survey mail out, which beings in March.

Census employees met with outreach commitee members from across Central Texas.

On Thursday, community representatives from outreach committees in Bastrop, Burnet, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Lee County, Smithville, Taylor, and Williamson County met at the Census office on Williams Drive to exchange ideas and information. Across the region, local committees are meeting with service organizations, handing out flyers, putting up posters, giving information to the news media, and sending out information in utility bills to inform residents about the Census.

Key messages include the confidentiality of the Census survey, the impact of Census counts on government services, and the ease of this decennial survey. The 2010 Census, unlike past Census surveys, includes only 10 questions, which makes it the shortest survey in Census history. There are no questions about income, finances, or occupation. To see a copy of the 2010 Census survey or to learn more about it, go to 2010.census.gov.

Leo Wood, chair of the Williamson County Complete Count Committee, described outreach activities in the County.

Williamson County includes some of the fastest-growing cities in the state since the 2000 Census. Georgetown is expected to surpass the 50,000 population threshold, which would be an increase of 76 percent since 2000. Cedar Park, with only 9,000 residents in the 1990 Census, may reach 60,000 in the 2010 Census. Leo Wood, chair of the Williamson County Complete Count Committee, says that the County may exceed 400,000 residents this year, up from about 250,000 in 2000. Wood says the population count affects many entitlement programs in the County that impact $6 million in funding.

Census officials working in the region are still hiring people to help with the Census count. Job seekers should call the U.S. Census at 1-866-861-2010 to inquire about testing for a Census position. Moy Carrasco, Williamson County local Census office manager, expects to recruit approximately 8,600 Census workers through his office. The biggest effort begins in April when Census workers will begin walking neighborhoods door-to-door to reach residents who have not mailed back a Census survey. The Census is mandated to have a population report by the end of this year.

Once the Census count begins this spring, the Census will be opening “Be Counted” locations at libraries, post offices, and community centers. The purpose of the Be Counted locations is to provide materials and extra Census surveys for people who may have lost or accidentally discarded the survey that arrives in the mail. The Census also will be establishing assistance centers throughout the region where people can get information about the Census.

Look for more information on these locations at georgetown.org in the coming weeks. Or, you can visit 2010.census.gov with information on local assistance centers once they open.

In addition to the decennial population count, the U.S. Census Bureau employs an ongoing survey effort based on sampling that fills in a picture of the U.S. population.