Officials kickoff 2010 census in Iowa

DES MOINES – Census officials are encouraging Iowans to take part in the 2010 census and say they expect to hire about 5,000 in the state as they head into census' home stretch.

At a news conference Monday, federal and local officials stressed the importance of returning census forms, which are expected to show up in mailboxes this spring.

Each year, $400 billion in federal funding is based on census results, said Rich Gerdes, an assistant regional census manager in the Kansas City office.

Each household with an address should get a census form around March 15, and another in mid-April. People with only post office boxes will be asked go to special sites for a questionnaire.

Gerdes said the census will be the shortest ever, because the numerous questions that used to be included are now included in the American Community Survey.

The census form includes 10 questions, which officials estimate take about 10 minutes to complete.

Those who return their census forms by mail will not see a census worker visit their home. Beginning May 1, census official will begin doing door-to-door data collection at households that have not returned forms.

Iowa has had one of the top return rates in the nation, along with Minnesota, Gerdes said.

Gerdes emphasized that information collected in the census is not shared with other government agencies, such as immigration officials, and that the census was won lawsuits allowing them to keep the information confidential. Undocumented immigrants still will be counted, he said

“We never release any information on a particular person,” Gerdes said.

Census officials have partnered with local organizations to reach out to minority groups about the importance of the census.

Cyndi Chen, division administrator for the Commission on the Status of Iowans of Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage, said census data helped Asian leaders in their goal to establish the commission.

That data showed one of seven Asians in Iowa and one out of five Pacific Islanders in Iowa are living in poverty, Chen said. Those figures help officials better serve those populations, she said.

Gerdes cited outreach efforts and partnerships with black community and faith-based organizations to get the word out.

“Our specialists are out there. They know the areas, and they're trying to get out there to them,” Gerdes said.

U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-Iowa, stressed that the census count is tied to federal funding for the allocation of social services, grant programs, health care, and job training centers and affects every community in the state.

Iowa will only get its fair share if people respond or return their census forms, he said.

Boswell said the census is not a case of government prying into their lives.

“I just want to give you my assurance that this is confidential. It's not going to be passed around for other purposes, and you can count on that,” Boswell said.

Congressional seats also are allocated based on census results, and Iowa is expected to lose a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2010 census is completed.

Boswell declined to speculate on what that might mean for his political future if he were to be placed in the same new district as another member of Congress.

“Let's just see what the numbers turn out to be, but I have no plans to do anything different, long-range or short-range. So we just have to wait and see what census tells us,” Boswell said.

Census Hiring

Census officials say they expect to hire for about 5,000 positions in Iowa for the count, with salaries ranging from about $9-$15 per hour.

More information is available by calling 1-866-861-2010 or visiting www.2010CensusJobs.gov.

Applicants must take a short test to test skills such as reading and math, and a background check is completed after hire. The length of jobs varies.