Census 2000, mandated by the United States Constitution, will be conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau on April 1, 2000. Most housing units (about 83 percent) will receive a short form questionnaire requesting information on seven subjects: name, sex, age, relationship, Hispanic origin, race, and housing tenure – and takes about 10 minutes to complete. One out of six households will receive a long form asking about 34 subjects, including marital status, education, ancestry, disability, employment, occupation, income, housing structure and value – and takes about 38 minutes to complete. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share individual records with any other government agency, including welfare agencies, the IRS, courts, police and the military.

Though the original purpose of the census was to provide basis for apportionment of the U.S. House of Representatives, modern censuses were much more than just a headcount of the nation. Census 2000 will provide a wide range of demographic, economic, and social information. For many of our Wyoming communities, the census data are the only such kind of information ever available. It will heavily impact everyone for the following decade. Following are a few examples of the uses of census data:

• The Federal government uses census numbers to allocate over $100 billion in federal funds annually for community programs and services including education programs, housing and community development, job training and more. Wyoming will lose about $500 in federal dollars for each resident failed to be counted.
• State, local, and tribal governments use census information for planning and allocating funds for new school construction, public buildings such as libraries, highway safety and public transportation systems, new roads and bridges, location of police and fire departments and many other projects. States also use census population totals to redraw legislative districts and local voting districts. Most importantly, local governments could lose hundreds of dollars per year in state shared revenues for EACH PERSON not counted in Census 2000. Following are average taxes distributed by the state based on census population:

  	Municipality	County
  Sales and use taxes:	$600	$600
  Mineral severance taxes:	$ 48	$ 13
  Federal mineral royalties:	$ 55	$ --
  Motor fuel taxes:	$ 12	$ 43

• Community organizations use census information for developing social service programs, community action projects, and child-care centers.
• Businesses use the numbers to decide where to locate factories, shopping centers, movie theaters, banks and offices, and where to target product lines and advertising by evaluating an area’s labor pool and potential markets based on residents’ age structure, educational profile, industry/occupation experience, and income.
• Academic researchers, such as economists, demographers, sociologists, anthropologists, and political scientists, give meaning to the census data through their trend analyses that track structural changes and migration patterns of the population in general or of specific subgroups.
• Any individual can have access to the original older (1870-1920) census records to assist in researching or verifying their family tree. Also, people whose parents failed to register them with the state can use census records as a substitute for a birth certificate.