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2010 U.S. Census Bureau Form: How-To-Instructions
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Related Information: 2010 Census: Assyrian |
The U.S. Census Bureau counts every resident in the United States, and is required by the Constitution to take place every 10 years.
The 2010 Census will help communities receive more than $400 billion in federal funds each year for things like:
- 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.
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. If you don't mail the form back, you may receive a visit from a census taker, who will ask you the questions from the form.
The 2010 Census aims to count all U.S. residents — citizens and non-citizens alike.
To do so, the Census Bureau:
- Delivers a short 10-question form to every household in America
- Requires that you fill in the form to account for everyone living at your address as of April 1, 2010
- Includes a prepaid envelope with the form so you can mail it back as soon as possible
Every question asked is for a specific reason, to ensure response accuracy or to determine seats in Congress.
NOTE: YOU CANNOT FILL OUT THE FORM ONLINE.
The 2010 Census form is just 10 questions, such as:
- Name
- Sex
- Age
- Date of birth
- Hispanic origin
- Race
- Household relationship
- If you own or rent
The census DOES NOT ask about the legal status of respondents or their Social Security numbers.
The mailing package from the Census Bureau consists of:
- The 10-question form
- A postage-paid envelope
In areas served by the United States Postal Service, postal workers will deliver the initial mailing in mid-March 2010. In all other areas, census takers will deliver the form packages between March 1 and April 30, 2010.
Once you get your form in the mail, fill it in and mail it back in the postage-paid envelope provided.
The Census Bureau does not send out any confirmations that your form was received.
Any request for census information from the Census Bureau will be clearly identified as coming from the U.S. Census Bureau and as OFFICIAL BUSINESS of the United States. It is a federal offense for anyone to pretend they represent the Census Bureau. Before your household receives a mailed form, a phone call or a visit from the Census Bureau, you will be given a few days notice with a letter from the Census Bureau Director.
Completing the 2010 Census Form
In 1980, the Census Bureau added the ancestry (ethnicity) question to its long-form. Unfortunately, prior to the 1990 census, Assyrians were lumped together within the “White” category which benefited this specific group. Additionally, many Assyrians entered “White” or “Arab” in the previous U.S. Census 2000 ancestry question and effectively lumped the Assyrians to the benefit of those categories and lowered our ethnicity population in the process (see US Census 2000 Ancestry.) Today, there is an available “Assyrian” code within the U.S. Census Bureau system, to ensure we are counted and tabulated accurately. 
2000
NOTE: Please review this completed sample form below to correctly answer the 2010 Census Form.
Each person living in the household needs to fill a form. In the example below, five (5) forms should be filled and completed.
For question #9, enter an X on “Some other race” and enter “Assyrian”.
- Do not select “White” since that implies Anglo-Saxon European ethnicity
- Do not select “Iraqi”, “Iranian”, “Turkish”, or “Syrian” as those are your origin of birth, not your ethnicity
- Do not select “Arab” or “Arabs”, as those define the nomadic tribes of the Arabian Peninsula, not your ethnicity
- Do not select “Christian” or “Iraqi Christian” as those are religious references, not your ethnicity
