History

The U.S. Constitution (Article I, Section 2) mandates a headcount of everyone residing in the United States in order to determine a state’s representation in the House of Representatives. The Census numbers have also come to affect government funding that is doled out proportionally by population. The count affects the resources committed to your community and informs decision- makers about how your community is changing.

The census counts everyone residing in the United States: in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Island Areas. The first Census was conducted in 1790 and has been carried out every 10 years since.

Confidentiality of Census data

All information collected by the U.S. Census Bureau, under authority of Title 13 of the U.S. Code, is STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL. The same law that requires individuals to respond to the census also guarantees the confidentiality of the respondents.

Census workers must pass both security and employment reference checks. They are sworn to secrecy. The penalty for violating the confidentiality of responses is up to a $5,000 fine and up to a 5 year prison term. No court of law — not even the President of the United States — can have access to individual responses.

The Census Bureau cannot share individual, personally identifiable responses with anyone. That includes the Internal Revenue Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, or state or Federal welfare departments, or other government agency.

Complete Count Committee (CCC)

The U.S. Census Bureau is responsible for conducting the census, but it is not possible to count the hundreds of millions of people in the United States without help. It takes cooperation between federal, state and local leaders.

A Complete Count Committee (CCC) is a team of community leaders appointed to develop and implement a locally-based outreach and awareness campaign for the 2010 Census. The Census Bureau has encouraged Complete Count Committees at the state and local levels.

Gov. Perdue established the North Carolina Complete Count Committee (NC CCC) in December. It is made up of individuals representing the diverse geographic, economic, racial, cultural, gender, and occupational makeup of our state. There are also numerous local CCCs in North Carolina at the county and city level.

Key Dates