The mail will deliver more than 130 million census forms to American households this week, with Wednesday as the target date for most forms to arrive, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Participation in the 10-year census is mandatory, and those who do not return the 10-question forms by mid-April will be visited in-person by censustakers in May, June or July.
While the prepaid envelopes cost the government only mailing costs, each visit from a census taker costs about $25, the bureau notes in its promotional materials encouraging mail participation in the count.
The census provides the statistical data that determines how more than $400 billion in federal funding is spent each year on local community’s services, including schools, hospitals, emergency services, bridges and tunnels, senior citizen services, job training and other federally supported programs.
A national Questionnaire Assistance Center is available at 1-866-872-6868. The Denver Regional Census Office is available at 720-475-3640. The state census website is .
