The Idaho Department of Labor and the U.S. Census Bureau signed a partnership agreement on Tuesday to aggressively promote citizen participation in the 2010 census.
“Every year more than $300 billion in federal funds are awarded to states and communities based on the census count,” Zerelda Quintana, the Census Bureau’s regional partnership specialist, said. “That makes a complete count of the people of Idaho important to the future of this state and its diverse communities.”
Quintana and Idaho Labor Director Roger B. Madsen signed the agreement during a briefing on the campaign to secure maximum participation in the April 1, 2010, count. The Census Bureau is also forming partnerships with other state agencies, cities, counties and community organizations to promote Census 2010.
“Idahoans are independent people, but they know when and how to help each other,” Madsen said. “Census 2010 is clearly one of those times.”
Idaho has been among the nation’s fastest growing states over the past nine years. Between the last census in 2000 and mid-2008 Idaho’s population increased nearly 18 percent to over 1.5 million. Only four other states – Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Georgia grew by greater percentages. Nationally the population grew 8 percent.