2010 Census: Census Bureau Has Improved the Local Update of Census Addresses Program, but Challenges Remain

The Census Bureau contacted the Maryland-Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) to seek its help in identifying local officials willing to evaluate the pre-final version of the LUCA computer-based training. Two of 5 officials identified by the MNCPPC participated in the evaluation as well as Help Desk Contractors. Improvements identified were incorporated in the LUCA computer-based training. The Help Desk contractors were also reviewing the MTPS and MTPS CBT. As a result of that effort, the Bureau has expanded its existing instructions and made other improvements to the MTPS users' guides as well as provided additional information via the website, fax, mail or email.

The Bureau's Help Desk contractors have prepared text and screen shot instructions for converting data between a variety of common formats and the Bureau's data formats. The Bureau will disseminate this information via its website and to Help Desk callers via email, fax, or mail, and expand this information when responding to inquiries from other participants.

March 2011: The Census Bureau published timeframes for its 2010 Census Program for Evaluations and Experiments that included an assessment of the Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) documenting final volumes, rates, and costs for the operation. The Bureau planned to complete its assessment of LUCA in May 2012. June 2012: The Bureau completed an assessment of the 2010 Census Local Update of Census Addresses but did not include an assessment of the LUCA contribution to the final census count. However, the Bureau has not completed research and testing projects, including one on LUCA, that would inform its decision in 2015 about the 2020 Census design. April 2013: We requested a status update on the Census Bureau's implementation of this recommendation, but did not receive any information. January 2014: We reached out to agency officials and are awaiting a response. February 2014: The LUCA CPEX Assessment proivded to us by Bureau officials indicates that the Bureau did assess the LUCA Programs contribution to the final census populations counts (the document indicates that 6,070,611 addresses from LUCA contributed to the the final census population count for 2010).

The Bureau has developed a draft letter to be mailed to LUCA participants that have not submitted LUCA changes after the end of the 120-day review period. The letter provides a checklist of reasons why changes might not have been submitted (or an address list under options 2 and 3) and includes a space for the respondent to submit another reason. The draft letter was included as an attachment to the 60-day letter from Commerce. The letter will be finalized after the Census Bureau has considered public comments (in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act).

The Bureau acted on this recommendation and expanded the number of workshops and amount of community outreach in the Gulf Coast--from which they received lots of input. In February 2009 the Bureau created a job-aid for natural disaster areas which was used during the 2010 Address Canvassing operation. The Bureau also created an Appendix to the address canvassing training materials which offered supplemental procedures--including training modules and visual aids--for the Gulf Coast and other Katrina/Rita-affected areas. Additionally, the Bureau has allocated more partnership resources and Regional technician resources on the ground to engage local communities so that they may better develop their plans.