WASHINGTON, April 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Census Bureau said about 635,000 workers nationwide are poised to begin going door-to-door to an estimated 48 million addresses.
U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Groves said workers Friday would begin visiting homes that didn't mail back a census form and are to complete the task by July 10.
"America's had a very successful first half of the 2010 Census, where more than 72 percent of the nation's households mailed back their census forms," Groves said. "But achieving a complete and accurate census requires us to now go door to door to count all the remaining households we've not heard back from."
The bureau cautioned citizens to ensure census workers present an identification badge bearing a Department of Commerce watermark and expiration date to verify their identities. Workers won't ask for Social Security numbers or credit card and bank information, officials said.
"If a census taker knocks on your door, please help by providing the basic information required for the census," Groves said. "Your answers are strictly confidential. There are just 10 questions on the form and it should only take about 10 minutes to complete."
