KINGSTON — The U.S. Census Bureau is counting on the help of North End residents to improve on the poor results in the 2000 count.
In the 2000 Census, parts of Kingston and Hansville had 10 percent fewer returned census forms than the county average. It’s a shortfall the bureau is working to shore up in the 2010 count, as it begins mailing out forms in March.
The bureau is coordinating with North Kitsap community groups and the tribes to spread the word about mailing back census forms.
“Kingston is an area that doesn’t return a lot of census forms, and that will hurt Kingston in the long run,” said Silverdale Census Office Manager Brian Maule, who oversees counting in five counties.
It’s not entirely clear why parts of North Kitsap have lower census returns.
“Snow birds” — people who have residences in North Kitsap but live part of the year elsewhere — could skew the count somewhat. Maule said the two sovereign tribal nations, Suquamish and Port Gamble S’Klallam, also present a challenge for counting and outreach.
This year the S’Klallam Tribe has taken a number of steps to educate its members about the census. It has distributed posters and pamphlets, run stories in tribal newsletters and even scheduled a census representative to answer form questions in the tribal center lobby from March 19 to April 19.
Some tribal members have also been hired to complete housing unit counts and other census jobs.
This year the S’Klallam Tribe has taken a number of steps to educate its members about the census. It has distributed posters and pamphlets, run stories in tribal newsletters and even scheduled a census representative to answer form questions in the tribal center lobby from March 19 to April 19.
Some tribal members have also been hired to complete housing unit counts and other census jobs.
Improving count results is important, Maule said, because low counts are costly both to the bureau and the community, Maule said.
Census counts govern the number of seats each state is given in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the numbers also are used by federal agencies to determine funding allocations. About $400 billion is distributed by the federal government to local jurisdictions each year based on census numbers.
The Census Bureau counts most residents by mailing them forms which residents must mail back. Residents who use post office boxes will be delivered forms by census employees.
If a form isn’t sent back, a census worker will have to count the household in person, which costs $80 to $90 per visit, Maule said.
“When you don’t return your form, we have to come to your doorstep and numerate you,” Maule said.
