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

Rural Areas

Census information is used to plan tunnels, bridges, and roads. The data help federal and local emergency management agencies assess the damage from tornadoes, floods, and droughts and plan recovery assistance. Census data also help local governments and businesses plan future economic development by forecasting future demand for goods and services. The federal government allocates approximately $15 billion in funds to assist rural areas. Specific programs critical to rural communities that rely on census data include:

• The Food Donation Program, which provides food to individuals, families, and institutions;
• Intermediary Relending Programs, which finance business facilities and community development projects in rural areas. Loans are made by the Rural Business Cooperative Service (RBS) to intermediaries to establish revolving loan funds for rural recipients;
• Business and Industrial Loans, which improve, develop, or finance businesses and industries, creating jobs and improving the economic and environmental climate in rural communities (including pollution abatement);
• The Emergency Community Water Assistance program, which assists rural communities that have had a significant decline in the quantity or quality of drinking water in repairing and replacing rural water treatment facilities;
• The Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Enforcement Grant Program, which improves and increases services available to women and children in rural areas by encouraging community involvement in preventing domestic violence and child abuse. Funding helps increase victims' access to treatment and counseling and further strengthens the investigation and prosecution of domestic violence and child abuse cases;
• Rural Development Loans and Loan Guarantees, which provide zero interest loans and grants for telephone and electric utilities to promote rural economic development and job creation;
• Rural Cooperative Development Grants, which improve the economic condition of rural areas through the development of new cooperatives and the improvement of existing cooperatives;
• The Very Low to Moderate Income Housing Loans program, which allows low-income and moderate-income rural residents to purchase, construct, repair, or relocate a dwelling and related facilities;
• Assistance to rural renters through the Rural Rental Housing Loans Program and Rural Rental Assistance, which provide subsidies to very low-income individuals or direct mortgage loans to very low-, low-, and moderate-income families; the elderly; and persons with disabilities;
• Formula Grants for Other than Urbanized Areas, which funds operating and administrative assistance for transportation in rural areas;
• Rural Education; and
• Various programs to provide quality, accessible health care through the State Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, Rural Health Care Services Outreach and Rural Health Network Development Program, Small Rural Hospital Improvement Grant Program, Grants to States for Operation of Offices of Rural Health, and Development and Coordination of Rural Health Services program.

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