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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCensus 2000 (2)PLUS FIVE &_ BECAUSE YOU COUNT Office of the Director July 7, 2000 U.S. Census Bureau Department of Commerce J U L, 8 2000 I D CITY LAUREL Official supporters: Dear Elected Official: The Council of State Governments We are happy to report that we have completed the second phase of Census 2000, contacting households that did not respond to the mail-out/mail-back part of the International City/ census. You share a major role in this success. Without your help and support, we County Management would not have had such cooperation from the American public in responding to Association Census 2000. National Association of -operation?tlIat-We-rnust ee Saef n'es o5?.afes--- ..owever, -.e job is not over. We ve several remaining complete to ensure that Census 2000 is accurate and complete: National Association of Counties We have completed telephone interviewing and begun field interviewing for a quality-control survey-Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation (or A.C.E.)-which National Association of will continue through early September. This survey will be similar to the Post- Towns and Townships Enumeration Survey conducted as part of the 1990 census. However, the sample size will be substantially larger (314,000 housing units nationwide, National Conference of State Legislatures compared with 165,000 households in 1990), and our enumerators will use laptop computers to determine if the number of people reported in the housing National Congress of unit is correct and if any housing units were missed or counted more than once American Indians during the census. National League • In the Coverage Edit Follow-up (through July 31), we are phoning more than 2 of Cities million housing units to resolve population count discrepancies and complete information for all people from large households that only recorded The United States information for up to six residents Conference of Mayors . • In the Coverage Improvement Follow-up, which has already begun and lasts thrnnvh An yList 30 we. will An aevprnl thinvs to imnrnvp flip aprnrapv of the count, including enumerating those households added as a result of our update/leave operation and new construction program. A large part of the workload will be to verify the status of all housing units indicated to be vacant by enumerators, or classified as undeliverable by the United States Postal Service. We estimate that this operation will involve approximately 8.2 million housing units. We are calling this phase our "Quality Counts" campaign. Additional information, talking points, and other useful material are available on the How America Knows What America Needs Web site at <www.HAKWAN.com>. Many of you may remember a program from 1990 called the Post-Census Local Review, in which the U.S. Census Bureau provided, during the census, preliminary United States Census 2000 How America Knows What America Needs P.O. Box 65786 - Washington, D.C. 20035-5786 - 202.530.4747 - www.hakwan.com - 1.877.6HAKWAN population and housing unit counts at the block level for review by each entity's highest elected official. We want to remind you that a Post-Census Local Review program will not be included in Census 2000, because it was ineffective and did not yield a substantial number of additional addresses. In 1990, only one-fourth of the Nation's 39,000 governments participated in the Post-Census Local Review, and we added only one-twentieth of one percent (about 125,000 people) to the overall population count as a result of conducting this operation. For Census 2000, the Census Bureau chose, instead, to work with the United States Postal Service and local and tribal governments on the front end to improve address information. Through the Census 2000 Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) program, the-interaction between local and tribal governmental units and the Census- - Bureau was greatly expanded. For the first time, the Census Bureau was able to share its address list with local and tribal governments for review. Nearly half the Nation's 39,000 local and tribal governments, covering about 85 percent of all addresses, participated. In addition, at the request of local governments, the Census Bureau made modifications to LUCA, such as adding another program devoted to identifying addresses from new construction. The New Construction program resulted in participants identifying about 337,000 addresses that the Census Bureau had not known about through other sources. As a result, more than 3.1 million addresses were added to the address list used for Census 2000. We have determined that these efforts are more effective and cost-efficient and will provide greater accuracy of Census 2000 within the statutory time frame for its completion. Thank you for your contributions to a foundation for Census 2000-more accurate address list and active partnerships to promote Census 2000. We look forward to your continued support of our coverage improvement operations throughout the "Quality Counts" campaign, which will continue through the summer months. Following these field operations the Census Bureau will be less visible as it focuses on its internal quality assurance work in preparation for releasing its first data product by December 31, 2000.- These are-the-state totals-that are used-for-reapportionment of the-House-of -- -- Representatives. We will then continue with data preparation for the next major product, the detailed redistricting data file, scheduled to be released by April 1, 2001. Information from the long form will follow, on a flow basis, as quickly as is feasible. Sincerely, Kenneth Prewitt Director