The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

In this report:

Table of Contents

1. Overview
2. The Importance of the Census
3. Census Accuracy: The Undercount (and Overcount)
4. Census 2010: Key Operations and Milestones; How You Can Get Involved
   1. Overview of the census plan
   2. What you need to know
   3. How you can help
5. Additional Information
   1. Frequently asked questions
   2. Facts and figures
   3. Census history

Community-Based and Social Service Organizations

Community-based and social service organizations rely on census data to reach decisions that allow them to operate more efficiently. Census data guide local decision-makers in important community planning efforts, including where to build child-care and community centers. Community planners and governments rely on census data to determine where there is the most need for additional social services and who gets needed funding, such as community development block grants. Census data can help organizations estimate the number of potential volunteers in communities and the number of residents who may need services and can help them write better proposals for grants. For example, service organizations, such as Big Brothers of America, use data on the characteristics of young men such as age, education, occupation, and income to estimate the number of potential volunteers in metropolitan areas. In short, census data help community-based and social service organizations make more knowledgeable decisions about the people they serve and thereby enhance overall performance.

Next Section: The accuracy of the 2000 census