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

The Census is Mandated by the Constitution

Article I, Section 2 of the United States Constitution places the census at the core of our democratic system of governance by calling for a count of the nation's population every ten years. The census and the related American Community Survey provide information that is the cornerstone of knowledge about the American people. It is the basis for virtually all demographic and socio-economic information used by educators, policy makers, and community leaders.

Next Section: Important uses of census results