2010 CENSUS
QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
What does the 2010 Census
mean to me?
Money to your community for the
services you need. Because funding
is distributed to cities and towns
based on population, when you
complete your Census question-
naire you ensure that thousands of
your tax dollars are returned to
Phoenix in critical services for you
and your family. These services can
range from safety and health pro-
grams to parks and transportation
facilities – programs that improve
your life. Your answers alone can
mean the difference of thousands
of dollars to Phoenix over the next
10 years. Multiply that by your
neighbors’ responses and that
means millions in these tough
financial times.
How will I benefit?
These funds come back to Phoenix
and are used for services, including:
• Hospitals
• Schools
• Safe and clean parks
• Libraries
• Police and fire protection
• Senior services
• Head Start programs
• Local bus services
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Streets
• And much, much more.
What do I need to do for the
2010 Census?
You’ll receive the Census question-
naire in March or April. Just fill out
the 10 questions in the form mailed
to you. It’s easy and confidential. It
should only take about 10 minutes to
complete. The 2010 Census question-
naire is one of the shortest and easi-
est since the nation’s first Census in
1790.
How do I complete the form?
The questionnaire asks only a few
basic questions for each person in the
household, name, relationship, gen-
der, date of birth, age, race and
whether the respondent owns or rents
their home. In areas where there are
likely to be a large number of Spanish
speakers, the Census form will be
bilingual in English and Spanish.
How confidential is the
information I provide on the
Census form?
Completely confidential. Guaranteed.
Personal Census information is not
shared with any other agency or
organization. There are no excep-
tions. In fact, Census workers can go
points below the national average.
to jail for up to 5 years for revealing
A review after the Census showed
Census information.
that nearly 19,000 people were
missed in the official count. Many
Why is completing the Census
of those who were missed were
form so important?
minorities and low-income people
More than $400 billion in federal and most of them lived in the south
money is distributed each year and southwest portions of the city.
based on Census population figures. The undercount cost the city about
If you aren’t counted, you and your $80 million over the past 10 years.
community will lose valuable servic- This year, each person missed will
es. That’s why participation is impor- cost the city $400 a year. Miss a fam-
tant and required by law. ily of four, and that’s a loss of $1,600
a year for 10 years.
What happens if I don’t
complete my 2010 Census form? How can I help?
Getting an accurate count of the peo- Phoenix is taking this effort very
ple is so important that, if you don’t seriously. The mayor and City
return the questionnaire, a Census Council appointed a Complete Count
representative will contact you by Committee of volunteers whose
phone or visit your home as many as function is to promote and publicize
six times seeking your answers. If the importance of responding to the
you still don’t respond, your neigh- Census. This committee uses trusted
bors may be asked about the people voices and local knowledge to help
residing in your home. raise community awareness and
encourage residents to fill out the
How will Phoenix be impacted if Census form, especially those people
everyone is not counted? who are difficult to reach. Phoenix’s
In the 2000 Census, Phoenix had a goal is to improve its response rate to
response rate of 63 percent, four the 2010 Census and that’s why we
are counting on members of our
community to help. The business,
faith, minority and education
communities are represented by
nearly 200 residents serving on the
Complete Count Committee.
What makes up the $400 that
Phoenix will get for each person
counted?
It is a combination of state and fed-
eral funds that are distributed based
on the number of people who live in
the city. Included are state shared
revenues – sales taxes, income taxes
and other taxes – of $324. The
remainding $79 comes from the fed-
eral government in the form of
grants for such things as community
development, human services, hous-
ing, transit and public safety.
Why does the federal government
consider the Census an
important civil rights issue?
An accurate Census directly affects
the nation’s ability to ensure equal
representation and equal access to
important government resources for
all American, and therefore is
regarded as one of the most signifi-
cant civil rights issues facing the
country today. Those who are not
counted in Phoenix will seriously
impact the city by denying it valu-
able funding to help support services
such as health care, education and
job training.
Is the Census for U.S. citizens
only?
No! Everyone living in the United
States is to be counted in the Census
regardless of their immigration sta-
tus. In fact, the Census form does
not ask about immigration status.
Census statistics are used to figure
out what kind of services each com-
munity needs, including schools,
hospitals, health care clinics and
jobs. The information gathered by
the Census is used to determine
which communities have enough
people who speak languages other
than English so as to require servic-
es in other languages. As a border
state, one of our key tasks is to reach
out to the immigrant community to
help them understand that the infor-
mation provided in the Census is
completely confidential and cannot
be shared with any other agency,
including law enforcement or immi-
gration organizations.
How will same sex couples be
counted?
As society and laws are changing
with respect to same-sex couples,
the Census Bureau is adapting to
provide accurate measures of same-
sex couples and the same-sex mar-
ried population. Counting married
same-sex couples won’t require a
change to the Census form itself.
The difference will be in how
Census data are reported. For
this Census, the Department of
Commerce has clarified how the
Census Bureau can report the grow-
ing number of same-sex marriages
in the United States. Same-sex cou-
ples may select boxes for the gen-
ders of people living in a household
and their self-reported relationships
as husband, wife or unmarried part-
ner. In 2012, the Census Bureau will
begin to release reports based on
the 2010 Census data, including one
focusing on how same-sex couples
report their relationships.
Are people with disabilities
impacted?
People with disabilities rely on many
programs whose funding is directly
affected by the Census data. The fed-
eral government uses Census infor-
mation to guide the annual distribu-
tion of about $15 billion in services
to disabled persons. Among the serv-
ices are housing, transportation,
health care and employment and job
training assistance.
Will the Census help people who
are out of work and having
financial difficulties?
People who are struggling financial-
ly have a huge stake in taking part in
the Census. Census data are used to
fund numerous important services
the affect people with financial prob-
lems. Included are:
• Food stamps
• Section 8 Housing and Choice
Vouchers
• National School Lunch Program
• Head Start
• State Children’s Insurance
Program
• Women, Infants and Children
(WIC) Program
• Foster care
• Child care
There’s been talk nationally by
some groups of boycotting the
Census. Bad idea, right?
It is a terrible idea. It does nothing
to help those who boycott and the
cities and states in which they live. If
the Census shows fewer residents, it
will mean fewer resources for the
communities over the next 10 years.
Participation in the Census is
required by law and ignoring the law
is a poor way to build influence with
lawmakers and other policymakers.
In addition to the allocation of
funds to states and cities and the
realignment of Congressional,
state legislature and city council
districts, how else are Census
data used?
States use the data to distribute funds
to cities and towns as well as non-
profit organizations. Businesses use it
to decide where to make job-creating
investments. Cities – Phoenix includ-
ed – use it to make planning decisions
and to help decide where to locate
job training centers, provide services
for the elderly and build roads. And
local school districts use it to help
determine where new schools should
be built.
Published by the City of Phoenix
Public Information Office
602-262-7176
phoenix.gov
FOR MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT THE CENSUS VISIT
phoenix.gov/census2010