Washington, D.C.– Today, Congressman Heath Shuler (D-Waynesville) reminded residents of Western North Carolina that today is the deadline to be counted in the 2010 Census.
“The Census process is Western North Carolina has not been perfect, but a great deal of federal funding for our roads, schools, and teachers depends on the Census and it only takes place once every ten years,” said Rep. Shuler. “It is important that we get everyone counted.”
Residents who have not received a Census form, who did not mail it back, or were not contacted by a census worker at their home, should call the Census office in Asheville at 828-239-1240. The Census Office can check the system to see if an individual has been counted or not, and can have individuals added if need be.
The Census is used to determine how more than $445 billion in federal funding is distributed to state, local, and tribal governments over the next decade. A recent report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers found that when a single individual does not participate in the census, his or her local area can lose as much as $2,913 in federal funding. Services such as public schools, Head Start programs, school lunch programs, public daycare for children, public transportation and hospitals rely on federal funding that is allocated based on population density in a state, as determined by the Census.
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