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2010 Census: Ensuring a Complete Count in Marin County
First 2010 Census Results Released
(December 21, 2010) The Census Bureau has just announced the preliminary results of the 2010 Census population counts. The resident population of the United States on April 1, 2010 was 308,745,538. The most populous state was California (37,253,956); the least populous, Wyoming (563,626). The state that gained the most numerically since the 2000 Census was Texas (up 4,293,741 to 25,145,561) and the state that gained the most as a percentage of its 2000 Census count was Nevada (up 35.1% to 2,700,551). Regionally, the South and the West picked up the bulk of the population increase, 14,318,924 and 8,747,621, respectively. But the Northeast and the Midwest also grew: 1,722,862 and 2,534,225.
Beginning in February and wrapping up by March 31, 2011, the Census Bureau will release demographic data to the states on a rolling basis so state governments can start the redistricting process.
2010 Census Participation Rates
You participated! 77 percent of Marin households filled out and mailed back their 2010 Census questionnaire, a significant achievement in a time of declining survey participation nationwide. This is compared to 73 percent for the state and 74 percent for the nation. As for Marin's cities and towns, both Novato and Fairfax showed the highest participation rate at 80 percent, followed by Corte Madera at 77 percent and San Rafael, San Anselmo, and Larkspur at 74 percent. Ross had the lowest rate at 74 percent.
Summary of Outreach Activities
The Marin County Complete Count Committee (CCC) was conceived to develop a targeted census outreach and promotion campaign to encourage and motivate Marin County residents to complete and mail back the 2010 Census questionnaire. Over 65 community-based organizations, businesses, and government agencies participated in the CCC.
Through the good work of the community partners on the CCC, over 22,000 households and 70,000 individuals across Marin were reached through awareness and education efforts. One of the main tasks of the CCC was to work closely with prominent organizations in four targeted communities with traditionally high census undercounts, including the Canal area in San Rafael, Marin City, Galilee Harbor in Sausalito, and the south Novato area. In the Canal area, for example, the Canal Alliance contacted over 617 families during food distribution activities, assisted 32 clients to complete their Census questionnaire, and encouraged over 550 clients to fill out forms during case management meetings and health presentations.
In Marin City, the Golden Gate Resident Council distributed over 600 door hangers to remind people to participate in the census and handed out fliers to 149 families and households at Village Oduduwa, Ponderosa Estate, and at the shopping center, while staff at the Marin City Health and Wellness Center reached out to 478 individuals who visited the center. Meanwhile, the Galilee Harbor Community Association contacted 200 families during a planned census event and an additional 90 people at the Sausalito waterfront. Similarly, the Canal Youth Concilio promoted the importance of filling out the census to tenants and households at various apartment buildings.
Other examples of census outreach and education efforts include the Marin Asian Advocacy Project, which distributed census materials and door hangers to 300 families in the Vietnamese community, while the Legal Aid of Marin passed out Spanish language materials to approximately 400 families in the Latino community in Novato.
Links:
Census Related Articles:
For more information contact Kristin Drumm at KDrumm@marincounty.org or call (415) 473-6290.
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