The census is a count of every person in the US, and it is taken every 10 years. 

By law, people's personal information is not released by the Census Bureau.  Only summary statistics are released in the report. 

The Census form will be mailed to homes in March 2010.  It takes about 10 minutes to complete.  Everyone living in a household should be accounted for on the Census form. 

No questions are asked about immigration status.  The goal is to get an accurate count of people living in a geographic area. 

In 2000, Philadelphia had only a 57% response rate to the Census.  This was very bad news for our ailing city. 

Census numbers are used to distribute over $300 billion in government money annually - money that goes for education, hospitals, job training programs, etc.  Undercounting means money may not go where it's needed most. 

Census numbers are also used to determine representation in Congress and our state legislature.  Undercounting means we could lose seats in these bodies, as has happened in the past. 

Watch for your census forms in March.  Please fill them out and return them immediately, and help ensure that Philadelphia receives fair representation and a fair share of federal funding. 

For more information, contact Janet Ryder at the Philadelphia AFL-CIO, 215-665-9800.