It’s easy. It’s safe. It’s important. Be counted.

Census 2010 is coming and Westchester County wants you to be counted.

The census is a count of the nation’s population that takes place once every ten years. Information from the census is used to distribute federal funds and is protected by law.
 

• It’s easy. Census forms will be mailed to every house and apartment beginning in March 2010. The census form has 10 simple questions. Complete the form and mail it back.
• It’s safe. Your information is protected by law. The Census Bureau cannot share your personal information with any other agency for any reason.
• It’s important. The census determines our congressional representation in Washington, and is used to distribute over $300 billion in federal funding every year. Important programs in our community depend on the census.

Our voice in Washington depends on the census—Westchester is counting on you.

Links

• U.S. Census Bureau 2010 Website
• New York State Census 2010 Website
• Westchester Municipal Planning Federation Census 2010 presentation  

Westchester County has developed a set of Census 2010 posters in English and Spanish.  We encourage you to download, print and post these posters to help ensure a complete count of all Westchester residents.

Go to English version  Go to Spanish version 

Planning Department Census 2010 contact: Brian Connolly This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

About the decennial census

The census is conducted every ten years, as required by the Constitution. Census forms are sent to every household in the nation with 10 simple questions. Everyone is required to be counted in the census, including persons of all ages, racial backgrounds, citizens and non-citizens. For households that do not return census forms, the Census Bureau will make official visits to count the individuals living in those households.

The information that individuals provide in the census is protected by law. Under Title 13, members of the Census Bureau cannot share personal information with police, tax, or any other enforcement agencies.  Sharing information collected in the census is punishable by fines and imprisonment.

Information collected from the census is used to distribute over $300 billion in federal funding to states and local governments. In addition, census information determines how many seats each state receives in the U.S. House of Representatives and how many electoral votes each state receives for presidential elections. Funding and planning for schools, infrastructure, and community programs and services relies on census data. 

Census information is also used by other groups. Businesses use census information to decide where to locate and create jobs. Non-profits use census information to apply for grants. And many individuals use census information to learn more about their communities.