2010 Census
General Information
The U.S. Census is a constitutionally mandated survey is conducted every 10 years for the purpose of counting every resident in the U.S. The information is used to determine how federal dollars are spent in communities for services such as hospitals, schools, public work projects and emergency services. It also affects the number of seats each state is allocated in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Indiana Apartment Association reminds everyone that the owner, proprietor, manager, superintendent, or agent of any apartment community has a duty, imposed by law, to furnish the names of occupants and to give free ingress and egress to any duly accredited representative of the United States Department of Commerce. Note that only the names of the occupants are required. IAA attorney Jay Beatty researched the law and wrote an article for a recent edition of INSites newspaper that further explains the responsibilities of management companies. Click here for the article.
What Apartment Owners Need to Know
Most households, including those in apartment buildings, should receive Census questionnaires in the mail in March 2010. Responses are due by April 1, 2010. If households do not return their completed forms by the end of April, apartment operators can expect Census enumerators to visit their communities in an effort to get residents who have not responded to complete the form. These visits will take place from approximately May through August 2010.
Participation in the Census is required by law, so property managers are advised to provide Census enumerators with reasonable access to requested individual apartments. This includes allowing enumerators to knock on apartment doors, or, where present, buzz apartment call boxes. Enumerators may have to return to the property several times to secure interviews, and these repeat visits should be accommodated.
If enumerators are unable to contact apartment residents, they may ask a property manager for occupant information. Property staff should cooperate to the extent they can, and enumerators are required to allow for a reasonable amount of time for compilation of information. In all cases, property managers should ask for official identification before cooperating with any Census Bureau employees, which in most cases will be limited to a Census badge and bag.
Key Dates
- Fall 2008: Recruitment began for local census jobs for early census operations.
- Spring 2009: Census employees went door-to-door to update address list nationwide.
- Fall 2009: Recruitment began for census takers needed for peak workload in 2010.
- March 2010: Census forms are mailed or delivered to households.
- April 2010: National Census Day—use this day as a point of reference for sending your completed forms back in the mail.
- April - July 2010: Census takers visit households that did not return a form by mail.
- December 2010: By law, the Census Bureau delivers population information to the President for apportionment.
- March 2011: By law, the Census Bureau completes delivery of redistricting data to states.
Additional Information
You can go to the National Apartment Association Web site to find more information that directly relates to the apartments and the Census process.
More resources include:
