The U.S. Constitution requires that the U.S. Census Bureau count every resident in the United States every 10 years. The 2010 Census will help communities receive more than $400 billion in federal funds each year for things such as hospitals, job training centers, schools, senior centers, bridges, tunnels and other-public works projects, emergency services. The data collected by the census also help determine the number of seats your state has in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Census Bureau will start mailing census questionnaires in mid-March. The questionnaire is very simple, and only contains 10 questions. It should be mailed back by April 1 to the Census Bureau in the postage-paid envelope provided. Those households that do not mail their questionnaires may be visited by census takers from April through July. Remember that federal law requires that every resident be counted, and that your information is protected from other uses. For more information, visit http://2010.census.gov/2010census.