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

Federal, State, And Local Programs

The decennial census determines the allocation of close to $400 billion annually for planning and implementation of federal programs and services such as school construction, housing and community development, road and transportation planning, and job training. The people served by many of these programs include those in hard-to-count communities who are at greater risk of being missed in the census, thereby skewing projections of needed resources and, potentially, appropriations based on projected need. Examples of these programs include (dollar amounts reflect FY2007 allocations):

• Food stamps – $30.4 billion
• Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers – $16.1 billion
• National School Lunch Program – $8.6 billion
• Head Start – $6.2 billion
• State Children’s Insurance Program – $5.5 billion
• Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program – $5.3 billion
• Foster care (Title IVE) – $4.5 billion
• Child Care Mandatory & Matching Funds – $2.9 billion
• School Breakfast Program – $2.1 billion

Additional programs and specific populations served by these programs are highlighted below.

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