Census takers coming out to take unrespond househol

Friday, April 16, 2010 marked the last day that individuals could return their census forms by mail.  The official census date was Thursday, April 1st. As of the deadline, the mail participation rate stood at 69%.  During the 2000 Census the mail participation rate was 72%. The states with the highest mail participation rates were found mostly in the Midwest, with Wisconsin topping the list at seventy-eight percent.  California posted a slightly below average rate of 67%, although several counties posted rates above the national average.

Cities in the greater Los Angeles area with the highest mail participation rates were San Marino in the San Gabriel Valley and Rolling Hills in the South Bay. Both cities had returned 79% of their respective census forms by mail. In contrast, the beach city of Malibu had a mail participation rate of only fifty-five percent.

Beginning in May, census workers will begin visiting households in person that did not return the ten-question survey by mail.  The decennial census is used to determine the number of congressional seats in a given state. The confidential survey, which is not shared with any other government agency, is also used to determine the allocation of government resources for infrastructure and public services.