Count Us In CRLA Census Work a Success

CRLA's client communities have been those most undercounted in the Census for many decades. A study conducted by CRLA and the research firm JBS, has demonstrated that in past Censuses migrant and seasonal farmworker communities experienced a mega-undercount.

Federal funding for education, social programs, and health services are distributed on the basis of Census data, so working to ensure accurate Census enumeration has been an important part of support for our clients. CRLA Community Workers conducted extensive Census education and outreach to low-income workers and families in 2010. Their efforts helped to increase Census awareness and participation. CRLA also partnered with two regional Census Bureau offices to ensure a complete count of California's diverse communities.

Our research shows there has been significant improvement in Census coverage of hard-to-count rural communities since 2000, and indicates that CRLA played an important role in improving 2010 Census enumeration. The Census Bureau's targeted mailing of bilingual questionnaires and other operational improvements helped to ensure that farmworker and immigrant families participated in the Census, and helped to reduce differential undercount in these communities.

The report confirms, however, that much work remains to reach more recent immigrants and to successfully enumerate hard-to-locate housing and complex households with multiple members. The final report, entitled "2010 Census Enumeration of Immigrant Communities in Rural California: Dramatic Improvements but Challenges Remain," contains additional recommendations to improve outreach and partnerships for future Censuses and the American Community Survey.