Every 10 years since 1790, the U.S. Census has conducted a nationwide count of every resident in the United States. The U.S. Census is required by the Constitution, and serves as an important tool for allocating resources across the United States.

The 2010 Census will help communities receive over $400 billion in federal funding each year for things like hospitals, schools, job training centers, senior centers, emergency services, and public works projects.

The 2000 Census found 33.9 million people in California. It is estimated that California’s population will exceed 38 million in 2010.  More than $435 billion a year is distributed by the federal government to States based on Census driven funding formulas. California’s share in the 2007 fiscal year was approximately $41 billion.

The data collected by the census also helps determine the number of seats California has in the U.S. House of Representatives. For the first time in the State's 160 year history, California may lose an existing congressional seat if we do not have a complete count in 2010. California could lose billions of dollars in federal funding and approximately $3000 a year for each Californian not counted in the 2010 Census.

In March of 2010, census forms will be delivered to every residence in the United States and Puerto Rico. When you receive yours, just answer the 10 short questions and then mail the form back in the postage-paid envelope provided.

On Census Day, April 1, 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau will send reminder postcard and a replacement questionnaire if you have not sent in the original form. The U.S. Census Bureau will send out census takers to go door-to-door and fill-in questionnaires for households that did not respond. If you don't mail the form back, you may receive a visit from a census taker.

Did You Receive a Census Form With an Incorrect Address?  The address on your census form or advance letter may not list the city name you identity with or are used to seeing on your mail. This is a result of an efficiency cost-saving measure that streamlines how the forms are sorted and delivered to you by the U.S. Postal Service. However, it will not affect which city, town or block your household’s response will be assigned to.

• 2010 Census
• California Complete Count
• La Palma 2000 Census Data