Columbus Planning Department's role in the 2010 Census process since fall 2007 up now is as follows:
In 2008, the Columbus Planning Department took the responsibility for the area within the Columbus-Phenix City Transportation Study as the agency responsible for Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA), which is an integral part of the 2010 Decennial Census Program.
LUCA consisted of an extensive review of existing database the Census Bureau had concerning the list of housing units, streets and group quarter addresses. This database was important for the Census Bureau as it would be what they used to conduct their Census questionnaire mailings and subsequent door to door interviews during the actual process two years later.
Guidance from the Census Bureau urged us to focus on areas such as:
The Planning Department participated in Option 1 of LUCA, the Title 13 Full Address Review. This process was limited to 120 days upon receipt of the materials from the Census Bureau. It required members of the Planning Department to read review and acknowledge the information contained within the LUCA packages were protected for confidentiality under Title 13 of the United States Code.
Outreach was made to neighboring jurisdictions, such as Phenix City, Opelika and Auburn in Alabama, to give their personnel the opportunity to participate in the LUCA review process.
The entry of data for the LUCA review process was carried out through specially designed MAF/TIGER Partnership Software developed by ESRI in conjunction with the Census Bureau. The work occurred between the Fall of 2007 through to being submitted to the Census in January, 2008.
The Planning Department was asked by GDOT and the FHWA to take the role of defining the Traffic Analysis Zones for Muscogee and Chattahoochee Counties. This was done as part of the Census Transportation Planning Package (CTPP), which is a set of special tabulations designed for transportation planners. The data are tabulated from answers to the American Community Survey, which is mailed to a selected random cross-section of the populace between 2006-2008.
Because of the large sample size, the data is deemed reliable and accurate. CTPP provides a demographic snapshot of patterns such as the percentage of citizens using transit, the average length of commute, whether they carpool, how far they reside from their place of employment or school.
Transportation planners use CTPP data to:
In the Fall of 2009, the Planning Department also had the opportunity to review whether their submissions under the LUCA program in early 2008 had been in fact adopted by the Census Bureau.
During our review of the material provided to the department, we found that nearly every change suggested during the LUCA process had been in fact adopted. The Census Bureau had verified our requested changes by utilizing field personnel who visited each of the addresses cited. This was the final step prior to the actual mailing of Census forms the following Spring.
The US Postal Service delivered Census forms through postal mail to all addresses identified and verified as being correct within the region. Citizens were requested to complete the 10 question form and return it in the postal mail (postage free) for tabulation.
Muscogee County had a Census form return rate of 72 percent, slightly below the 74 percent average for all counties nationwide. Chattahoochee County had a Census form return rate of 58 percent, Lee County had a return rate of 72 percent, Russell County had a Census form return rate of 68 percent.
Non-responding addresses were mailed second Census form, followed by a visit by a door-to-door Census taker.
The Census Bureau released its national population figures for the 2010 Census.
The Census Bureau will be releasing state population figures, which will include city population information. These are being released at the rate of five states per week.
Visit the United States Census 2010 website »
Check their interactive map that enables users to view the history of apportionment and our country's changing population through the past century.
For more information about the Census, please contact the Planning Department at (706) 653-4421.
Government Annex Building
2nd Floor
420 10th Street
Columbus, Georgia 31902
Phone: (706) 653-4421
Fax: (706) 653-4534
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