Open it. Fill it out. Send it back.
The 2010 Census should be in your hands by now and officials said they want residents to complete and mail it back as soon as possible -- April 1 at the latest.
If you don't get it in the mail, a federal worker will appear at your door to ask the same questions, but it will cost taxpayers $56.58 more each time a personnel appearance is made.
This year's Census consists of 10 questions that authorities said shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to complete. And, yes, 10 is the magic number when discussing the population-counting process: The Census has been taken every decade since the founding of the United States.
More than $400 billion in federal funding is allocated annually to state and local governments based on census data, officials said, emphasizing its importance.
Money goes toward funding construction like roads and bridges, as well as helping to pay for sewer systems, hospitals and schools.
Congressional redistricting depends on Census data as well, officials said. The more people counted in an area, the more representation they will receive.
Local officials said counting every single person living locally is critical when it comes to receiving adequate funding in Brazos County.
"The issue is both state and federal resources that are allocated back to the local government are based largely just on population," said Tom Wilkinson, executive director for the Brazos Valley Council of Governments.
Census data affects the city as a whole all the way down to each neighborhood, he said. If an area of town is undercounted, they won't receive all the resources it needs, Wilkinson said.
"It's all based on numbers," he said. "And the more people counted just means more of the taxpayer's dollar paid in this area will be returned to this area."
During the 2000 Census, the national participation rate was 72 percent, statewide was 67 percent and 71 percent of Brazos Valley residents were counted.
Jenna Steormann Arnold, media specialist for the U.S. Census Bureau in Central Texas, said inApril Census workers will be visiting every residence that received a form but didn't return it.
It costs taxpayers about 42 cents for every form mailed out, but it costs about $57 to send an employee to each household that fails to return the form, she said.
In the past, a select group of households was chosen to fill out a long census form with more detailed demographic questions.
Officials said they replaced that form in 2005 with the American Community Survey, which surveys a select group of residents annually about their income, occupation, what sort of home they live in and more.
Information collected in the survey also helps officials allocate money and resources, but only a small percentage of citizens will receive the form in 2010.
Once collected, an individual's Census information remains confidential for 72 years, officials said. That means no one --not even the president -- can get their hands on a resident's form.
"Return it," said Wilkinson. "Just simply return it."
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