2010 United States Census
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The twenty-third United States Census will be the next national census in the United States. The census has been conducted every 10 years since 1790, as required by the United States Constitution, with the previous one completed in 2000.
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[edit] Major Differences
- No longer will there be a separate long form given to a small group of people; the census will simply ask a few basic questions (such as name, gender, age, date of birth, race, ethnicity, etc.) that will only take a few minutes to fill out.[1]
- The 2010 census, however, does ask more personal questions about the individual and is required by law; this has raised concerns by individuals who feel it is a breach of privacy and are nervous about personal information being in government hands.[citation needed]
- From now on, the more detailed form with the financial backgrounds will be sponsored by the American Community Survey.[1]
- Same-sex couples will be counted.[citation needed]
[edit] Cost
The Government Accountability Office estimated in 2004 that the cost of the census could climb to over $11 billion. In a detailed report to Congress, it called on the Census Bureau to address cost and design issues.[2]
Lockheed Martin won a six-year, $500 million contract to capture and standardize data for the census. The contract includes systems, facilities, and staffing for about a quarter of the projected $11.3 billion cost of the decennial census.[3] This will be the first census to use hand-held computing devices with GPS capability.[4] Unlike the 2000 census, an Internet response option will not be offered.[5]
[edit] Same-sex marriage
The census will now include same-sex couples as well.[6] As of June 5, 2009[update], six states – Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont – allow marriages between partners of any sex combination to be performed by the state. In addition, 18,000 same-sex couples in California were married in 2008. Also, New York and the District of Columbia (pending court challenge) recognize marriages between partners of the same sex performed in other states as legal.
[edit] Developments
Interracial and multiracial categories will be used in a United States Census for the first time in 2010.
The Census Bureau says that it will work with community organizations in an effort to count all illegal immigrants in the United States for the census.[7]
[edit] 2012 election
The results of the 2010 census will determine the number of seats each state receives in the House of Representatives starting with the 2012 elections. Consequently, this will also affect the number of votes that states receive in the Electoral College for the presidential election of the same year.
[edit] Projections
Projections for changes in representation in the House of Representatives based on current growth rate from the Census Bureau's population estimates from 2008 are as follows:[8]
- Probable gainers
| State | Seats gained | New total |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 4 | 36 |
| Arizona | 2 | 10 |
| Florida | 2 | 27 |
| Georgia | 1 | 14 |
| Nevada | 1 | 4 |
| South Carolina | 1 | 7 |
| Utah | 1 | 4 |
- Probable losers
| State | Seats lost | New total |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 2 | 16 |
| Illinois | 1 | 18 |
| Iowa | 1 | 4 |
| Louisiana | 1 | 6 |
| Massachusetts | 1 | 9 |
| Michigan | 1 | 14 |
| Minnesota | 1 | 7 |
| Missouri | 1 | 8 |
| New Jersey | 1 | 12 |
| New York | 1 | 28 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | 18 |
Other possible changes include California losing a seat, and North Carolina gaining one.[8] In addition, Florida may gain only one seat, rather than two, and Oregon may gain a seat.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ a b http://2010.census.gov/2010census/about_2010_census/007622.html
- ^ http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-37
- ^ Preparing for a decennial task
- ^ Budget of the United States Government, FY 2006
- ^ "e-Census Unplugged: Why Americans Should Be Able to Complete the Census Online". http://www.itif.org/files/eCensusUnplugged.pdf.
- ^ http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-12914.html
- ^ Ballasy, Nicholas (2009-04-02). "Census Bureau: We’ll Work with ‘Community Organizations’ to Count All Illegal Aliens in 2010". Cybercast News Service. http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=46021. Retrieved on 2009-04-05.
- ^ a b c Brace, Kimball (2008-12-22). "New Population Estimates Show Slight Changes For 2008 Congressional Apportionment, But Point to Major Changes for 2010 – Table E". ElectionDataServices. http://www.electiondataservices.com/images/File/NR_Appor08wTables.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-12-25.
[edit] External links
- "2010 Census". U.S. Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/2010census/.
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