Census says wrong city name on form is cost-saving measure
March 17, 2010 ·
U.S. residents are receiving their 2010 Census forms in the mail this week and some in West Virginia are concerned their town won’t be represented, but Census officials say that’s not the case.
Residents in Vienna
received Census forms with neighboring Parkersburg
listed as their hometown. Vienna’s Mayor is telling them to cross out
Parkersburg on the forms and write in Vienna before mailing them back, but
Census spokesman John Willse says this is not necessary.
“That shouldn’t concern them at all. That’s just a postal
procedure that helps cut costs on distribution or the mailing out,” Willse
says.
Willse says a 20-digit identification number on each form
links the data to the person’s exact street address and hometown.
People who haven’t received a Census form by April 12 can contact
the Census Bureau or look for “Be Counted” questionnaires in public locations.
“If people fill out their forms and mail it back, they won’t
receive any other information; however, if people forget to fill it out or
delay filling it out, they will get a reminder postcard. The reference date for
getting these back is April 1.”
People who don’t fill out and return their Census forms may possibly
get a visit from a Census worker.
Willse says all personal information is confidential for 72
years; however, general census data and statistics should be available in about
a year.
The Census Report dates back to 1790 when four million
people were surveyed. This year, the Census Bureau expects to collect data from
300 million people.