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Our Census work is supported in part by the generous support of the Joyce Foundation's Money and Politics program.
Why we need a complete count
 Census results affect how much money Minnesota receives for federal programs. Minnesota receives $6.2 billion each year from the federal government based in whole or in part on Census Bureau data. That $1,204 per person annually for each person counted in the census (and $1,204 lost for everyone missed!).
The number of Representatives we send to Congress is determined by Census results, and MN could lose one of its 8 Congressional seats.  Estimates show that the difference between keeping and losing a seat
to another state could be as small as 1,100 people; given that there are over 5 million
people to count, we can't afford to miss anyone.
Civil rights are at stake.
Ethnic and racial minorities, as well as low-income persons, are often
under-counted in the Census. This dilutes their voices in government
(since congressional and legislative districts are drawn based on Census data) and
shortchanges them on crucial community funding. Learn more...
Additional resources
How to participate in the Census
People who live at a private residence will receive a form in the mail sometime in March; it should be returned by April 1st, which is Census Day. If you do not send back the form, enumerators will come to your house in late April-June and try to collect the information in person.
People who live in group quarters, such as dormitories, prisons, and residential treatment facilities will be counted through a special enumeration process shortly after April 1st in conjunction with their residential administrators and the Census Bureau.
People without a home will be counted through a series of operations in late March at homeless shelters, known camp sites, and food relief sites.
People without a permanent home who are living in hotels, RV sites, or campground will be counted in a special operation between March 22nd –April 16th
Q: What if I don't have a permanent address?
You should be counted where you live and sleep most of the time. In practice, this means residents are to be counted where they live 6 months and day or more of the
year. If no such place fits that description, then you are to be
counted wherever you are on April 1st.
This means college students living away from home should be counted where they attend school, regardless of where they otherwise pay taxes, vote, or identify their residency. It also means people who might be staying with friends or family until they have a place of their own need to be counted at that residence, even if they view the situation as temporary or know they will be moving out shortly.
Q: How can someone who doesn't speak English answer the Census?
Forms mailed to private residences will be in English only. (Exception: in Minnesota, selected blocks in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Worthington will receive bilingual Spanish/English forms). You can also request and submit an official form in Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese, and Russian. Other language
groups can request an informational form in their language to use as a
guide, but must submit the final English form only. See the list of
available languages below.
The sample form is currently available in English and in a bilingual English/Spanish
version. The actual questionnaire that will be mailed to households in
March 2010 will be available in a variety of languages, including Spanish - Korean - Vietnamese - Simplified Chinese - Russian
Language Assistance Guides
These provide in-language
help for answering the English census form. If you distribute these guides, please make it clear these are only guides and cannot be filled out and returned.
Get to know the questionnaire
The
Census Bureau has changed the way it conducts the national count:
goodbye long form! In the past, most households received a short-form
questionnaire, while one household in six received a long form that
contained additional questions and provided more detailed socioeconomic
information about the population.
The 2010 Census will be a short-form only census and will
count all residents living in the United States as well as ask for name, sex,
age, date of birth, race, ethnicity, relationship and housing tenure –
taking just minutes to complete.
The more detailed socioeconomic information is now collected through the American
Community Survey. The survey provides current data about your community every
year, rather than once every 10 years. It is sent to a small percentage of the
population on a rotating basis throughout the decade. No household will receive
the survey more often than once every five years. View more information on the American
Community Survey
Additional resources
This link to frequently asked questions serves as a quick
reference for a wide range of questions you may ask about the
2010 Census: Read the questions and answers
Addressing barriers, ensuring privacy
Common barriers to participation include:
- Fear of data sharing with immigration, landlords, creditors, abusers, police, courts, social welfare programs, IRS, etc. Always let people know that by law, the Census Bureau cannot share respondents’ answers with
anyone, including the IRS, FBI, CIA or any other government agency. All
Census Bureau employees take the oath of nondisclosure
and are sworn for life to protect the confidentiality of the data. The
penalty for unlawful disclosure is a fine of up to $250,000 or
imprisonment of up to 5 years, or both. Read more about Privacy & Confidentiality.
- Literacy and language barriers
- Confusion about where to be counted
- Lack of awareness about the benefits of participating
Addressing barriers by constituencies
There has been amazing work done by dozens of national advocacy group to create appropriate and effective messaging to their constituencies. Please utilize their research and work!
- The Ford Foundation commissioned a Guide on Census Messaging created from focus group work with African and African-American men and undocumented immigrants.
- The Ya es hora ¡Hágase contar! campaign provides excellent information for Latinos and Spanish-speaking immigrants
- The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund
(LCCREF) is working with national and local partners to publicize the
importance of an accurate census as a civil rights issue. LCCREF is
providing training, materials, strategic advice, and communications
support to local partner organizations through the “It’s Time. Make
Yourself Count” campaign.
- National Congress of American Indians – A public education initiative providing tribal leaders access to Census information and data products to use for research, planning, and decision-making purposes.
- Queer the Census, an initiative of the National Gay and Lesbian Task force, supports full GLBT inclusion in the Census
- Asian American Justice Center - A community education program help Asian Americans fully participate in the census: http://www.advancingequality.org/
Tools and action steps for your nonprofit
#1.Talk with your participants about the Census
The most effective way to increase Census participation is to have conversations about it between people in a relationship of trust. Host an informational event for your participants where you can boost awareness and address concerns.
The Minnesota Participation Project can train your staff to answer basic questions, anticipate some of barriers your participants might
face in responding to the Census, and work together to create effective messages. To request a brief staff training or workshop, contact Jeff Narabrook at
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or 651-757-3062.
#2.Commit to taking action during Be Counted Week, March 22-26
Census forms will be mailed in March to private residences and need to be returned by April 1st. The purpose of Be Counted Week is to provide a time for collective action at a crucial point in the Census operation. If you find your organization cannot commit to major
Census outreach, we highly encourage you to plug into Be Counted Week
as an easy and time limited, but very effective action step.
The Minnesota Participation Project will be kicking off Be Counted Week with an open house in St. Paul where you can pick up materials to distribute throughout the week. We'll post details as they become available.
#3. Utilize the space, events, and communication vehicles you already have
An easy way to add Census outreach to your work is to evaluate the opportunities you already have to discuss it with your participants.
- Take five minutes at your next organization sponsored event to talk about the Census;
- Include basic information about Census 2010 in your Web site, E-Updates, Newsletters and communications to your constituents;
- For your Web site: the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network has created these web bages to add to your site. Find web badges here
Please utilize this text to copy and paste into a Web site, member letter, etc.:
- Basic information text
In March, every household in Minnesota will receive a 2010 Census Form. The 2010 Census is easy: it consists of just 10 basic questions and it will take the average family 10 minutes complete. You will only be asked your name, phone number, race, ethnicity, home ownership, number of occupants, and other administrative questions. Filling out this form is required by law and your answers are protected. The information you provide will determine how over $400 billion in federal funds are distributed to the states each year and will help ensure that we get our fair share of representation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
- Text highlighting fiscal impact of Census
Not responding to the Census jeopardizes adequate funding for programs, services, and infrastructure in your community. $6.2 billion is allocated annually in federal program funds to Minnesota, based in whole or in part on Census Bureau data. That amounts to $1,204 per person annually, or $12,000 over a decade for each person counted in the Census--and $12,000 lost for everyone missed!
- Text about Census impact on political representation
Minnesota is dangerously close to losing one of its eight Congressional seats, reducing our state’s voice in the nation’s affairs. Estimates show that the difference between losing and keeping a seat could be as small as 2,000 people; given that there are over 5 million people to count, we can't afford to miss anyone!
- Text about confidentiality of Census responses
Individual census responses are not shared with anyone, including government agencies or private organizations. It is against the law, punishable by fines and incarceration, for the Census Bureau to give personally identifiable information about an individual to any other individual or agency until 72 years after it is collected for the decennial census. After 72 years, the individual census records are sent to the National Archives where they are made public primarily for genealogical research.
- Place posters or fliers in your lobby.
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#4 Promote Census jobs
The Census wants and needs to hire people from hard-to-count communities. You can help your communities find out about jobs with the Census and the giant hiring effort that will take place between fall 2009 and spring 2010 by visiting the Census jobs homepage for our Census region (Kansas City). Visit the site
#5. Find out your organization's hard-to-count score
-
 Hard-to-count scores are based on 47 factors, such as poverty rates, type of housing, number of non-English speakers, etc. that are associated with low Census response rates. A score of 70 or higher is considered a hard-to-count area.
This document lists 900 Minnesota nonprofits, along with their Census tract number, hard-to-count score, and percent of those in poverty living in that tract. Use this document to get a sense of the challenges that your neighborhood might face in getting a complete and accurate count.
The
maps below show hard to count areas (i.e. areas that are frequently
undercounted by the Census) with the locations of service oriented
501(c)(3) nonprofits overlayed. The maps illustrate in a dramatic way
the concentration of nonprofit organizations in these areas. Twin Cities Metro map / State of Minnesota
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