2010 Census
May 2010
Census takers are coming to Cary. This month, they will go door-to-door to follow up with households that either didn’t mail back their form or didn’t receive one. An estimated 48 million addresses across the nation will be visited through July 10.
Answering the door for a Census worker
Census takers are coming to Cary. This month, they will go door-to-door to follow up with households that either didn’t mail back their form or didn’t receive one. An estimated 48 million addresses across the nation will be visited through July 10.
Answering the door for a Census worker
If a 2010 Census worker knocks on your door, here are some ways to verify that person is a legitimate census taker:
- The Census taker must present an ID badge that contains a Department of Commerce watermark and expiration date. The Census taker may also be carrying a black canvass bag with a Census Bureau logo.
- The Census taker will provide you with supervisor contact information and/or the local Census office phone number for verification, if asked.
- The Census taker will only ask you the questions that appear on the 2010 Census form.
The Census taker will not ask for your social security number, bank account number or credit card number and will never solicit for donations or contact you by e-mail.
In most cases, Census workers will make up to six attempts at each housing unit address to count possible residents. This includes leaving notifications of the attempted visit at the house or apartment door, in addition to trying to reach the household by phone to conduct the interview or schedule an in-person interview.
Some households will receive a visit even though they may have mailed back their form. If the form arrived too late to be processed before nonresponse follow-up packets were sent to one of the 494 local census offices, the household occupants must still be interviewed when the census taker arrives. Households that didn’t receive a form by mail, including those that pick up their mail from post office boxes, will be visited by census workers as part of the follow-up plan.
Security and Confidentiality
If a Census taker knocks on your door, please help by providing the basic information required for the Census. Your answers are strictly confidential. There are just 10 questions on the form and it should only take about 10 minutes to complete.
All census takers undergo an FBI background check that includes both name and fingerprint checks. All have taken an oath for life to protect the information they collect and understand that they face stiff penalties, jail time or both for any disclosure of personally identifiable information.
During the months of March and April, 80 percent of Cary citizens filled out their Census form and sent it back in.
Every 10 years, the US Census counts every resident in the United States, which is required by the Constitution. The first Census was held in 1790.
What it means for Cary
Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht filled out his Census form to mark National Census Day on April 1. Getting an accurate count of Cary residents is critical for our community. Find out why.
More than $400 billion in federal funds will be distributed to communities each year, and the 2010 Census will be used to help determine how those dollars should be allocated. Cary's share of this funding relies on having an accurate representation of our citizenry.
Data collected by the Census will also help determine the number of seats North Carolina has in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Get more information
Visit the US Census 2010 Web site for details about the Census including privacy information and key dates.
Learn more about Census news and events in Wake County.
Other links
North Carolina Census 2010
Census Jobs
