Non-response follow-up begins May 1
Beginning May 1, 2010, paper forms will no longer be mailed to residents. But you are still required to complete the Census.
You may call the Census Bureau's Telephone Questionnaire Assistance Center to complete the questionnaire, or for answers about the form and your census participation through July 30.
You may also chose to complete the Census form with the help of one of the official Census Takers 
, who will begin going door to door beginning May 1. Please note that official government Census Takers will have an official US Census Bureau ID, and be carrying a US Census Bureau bag. They will never ask to enter your home, nor will they ever ask for money.
In addition to the 2010 Census, a random selection of addresses will be selected to complete the American Community Survey (ACS) . The American Community Survey is conducted every year to provide up to date information about the social and economic needs of the community. The ACS shows how people live - their education, housing, jobs ad more. Results may be used, for example, to determine where new schools, fire stations and hospitals are needed.
Every ten years, the US Constitution requires a national census count. Census forms will be mailed to every household in March of 2010. In the City of Plantation this amounts to more than 38,000 households! The goal is to count all residents, including persons of all ages, races, ethnic groups, citizens and non-citizens. The information we find out about ourselves will be used to determine what kind of resources we need to make our City better, and what services and programs are required for each of us to have better, healthier and more productive lives.
An Introduction to the 2010 Census
2010 Census Frequently Asked Questions
To review this information in other languages, click here.
The Address on Your Census Form
Ten Minutes Every Ten Years
The brief census questionnaire takes about 10 minutes to complete, and asks for the name, gender, age, race, ethnicity and relationship to the householder, and whether the householder owns or rents their home. The census DOES NOT ask about the legal status of respondents or their Social Security numbers. You should fill out your census form wherever you are staying on the day you receive it, regardless of where you live at other times of the year. Households may request the questionnaire in Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese or Korean. And Language Assistance Guides are available in 59 different languages to help people fill out the English version of the census form.
2010 Census Questionnaire (multilingual)
How People are Counted
Census Information is Confidential
Census forms are confidential and are protected by law (Title 13 of the US Code, Section 9). They cannot be shared with any governmental agency, including but not limited to the IRS, Welfare, the FBI, Immigration, Code Enforcement, and more. No court of law, not even the President of the United States can see your responses. Census workers must pass security and employment reference checks and are required by law to protect your answers. All Census Bureau employees are subject to a $250,000 FINE AND/OR A FIVE-YEAR PRISON TERM for disclosing any information that could identify a respondent or household.
Is the Census really confidential? (multilingual)
Census Results Determine Funding for Community Projects
County, State, and Federal Governments use census data to allocate billions of dollars in funding for education, public safety, housing, roads and bridges, human services and community services. Community organizations use it to develop social service programs for seniors and children. Again, the amount of money allocated to Plantation from other government agencies is based on the number of Plantation residents who complete and mail in their forms.
The loss in funding for government services for just one uncounted person in Broward County was estimated at $1,300 by the 2000 Census Monitoring Board. An undercounting of 1,000 residents could mean a loss in funding for Plantation of $1.3 million or more per year!
Population Determines Representation
Census data is also used to determine representation in the federal and state legislatures. Undercounting results in under-representation.
Plantation’s 2010 Census Goal
In 2000, the nationwide mail back response was 67 percent. In Plantation, the mail back response rate was 70 percent. In 2010, our goal is 99 percent participation. Please help us meet this goal so we can get our full share of state and federal dollars.
For more information, visit the U.S. Census Bureau 2010 Census Web site at www.census.gov.
