07-17-2001 La Porte Redistricting Committee Regular Meeting

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The American Community Survey Begins Helping You Now lllions of government and business Baollars are divided among states, tribal governments, and population groups based on their social and economic profiles. States and communities need accurate, timely information about their social and economiccondition. To help your community make strategic plans for its future, the American Community Survey will provide a "video" of how your community is changing, instead of the "snapshot" that the decennial census provides once every 10 years. The American Community Survey provides accurate, timely, and comparable information for making decisions such as: Tracking the well-being of children, families, and the elderly. Determining where to locate new schools, hospitals, and highways. Showing a company that the town has the workforce it needs. Evaluating programs such as welfare and workforce diversification. The American Community Survey is conducted using mailed questionnaires, telephone interviews, and visits from the Census Bureau's field representatives. Currently, the American Community Survey is being conducted in 31 diverse sites scattered across the country. Additionally, the American Community Survey questionnaire is being used in two nationwide tests that go to 700,000 households a year nationwide. Results from the 31 sites and the nationwide tests will demonstrate the usefulness and viability of the American Community Survey as a replacement for the decennial census long form in 2010. Full implementation of the survey is being planned for 2003 in every county, American Indian and Alaskan Native Area, and Hawaiian Homeland in the United States. Beginning in 2004, the American Community Survey will make information available every year for areas with populations larger than 65,000. Smaller population areas will begin receiving data every year in either 2006 (those areas with populations between 20,000. and 65,040) or 2008 (those areas with populations smaller than 20,000). Data will be available beginning in July 2000 from the 31 diverse American Community Survey sites. State level data will be available starting in July 2001 from the tests taking place in 700,000 households nationwide. The American Community Survey provides information every year. HOUSING MANAGEMENT MANAGER: "As a manager in a rapidly changing city, I depend on current data for planning and marketing of our housing units. The American Community Survey information will provide the senior citizen housing market and its related social service support industry with the relevant data on a timely basis." DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT, STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: "Public schools have been shortchanged millions of Federal education dollars because poverty data of school age children have not been updated in a timely manner. The American Community Survey has the potential to provide updated poverty estimates among states, thereby improving the likelihood of public school students' receiving their fair share of Federal education assistance." HAIRDRESSER: "[ want to use my life savings to start my own beauty parlor. All I can get is 1990 data. [need the latest information to make this decision." CITY PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR: "Homebuilders use data to determine the likely demand for different types of housing. The data help communities decide where to locate ball parks and schools, and show businesses that a community has the right demographic labor force to meet their needs." American Community Survey ~ ~'~~' American Community Survey ~ `~~ ~ American Community Survey www.census.gov ~ . ~.. ~ ~ * veww.census.gov ~ * vvww.census.gov 1.888.456-7215 ~~, 1.888.456.7215 L~, 1.888.456.7215