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CENSUS 2000 DRESS REHEARSAL
Sacramento, California |
To conduct operational testing of methodologies planned for Census 2000.
These methodologies are designed to provide a more accurate census at
less cost. The sites selected for the dress rehearsal reflect
characteristics that we believe will provide a good operational test of
our procedures and systems.
The Census Bureau will conduct the dress rehearsal in three sites,
including the city of Sacramento. The Census Bureau selected
Sacramento because it contains a great diversity among the racial and
ethnic groups. Selecting a site with a diverse population provides the
opportunity to test Census 2000 methods designed to reduce the
differentials and produce an accurate census for all components of
the population. Sacramento is a primary media market, which will allow
us to fully test our paid promotion program. The Sacramento site
represents the size of typical urban local census offices planned for
Census 2000, which was necessary to provide an understanding of the
effectiveness of census operations.
The city will have the opportunity to observe first-hand the methodology
planned for Census 2000. This experience could be beneficial in
preparing for the decennial census. The Census Bureau plans to have
an unprecedented partnership effort for Census 2000, making this
census the "partnership" census. The Census Bureau plans to work
closely with state and local governments, community organizations,
and so forth to conduct a wide range of census activities. For
example, for the first time, the Census Bureau will allow local
governments to review the census address list to ensure its
completeness and accuracy. We also will work in partnership with
local governments on implementing our promotion and outreach program,
and to facilitate the availability of census questionnaires. We will
implement these partnerships with the Census 2000 Dress Rehearsal,
making the local governments within the dress rehearsal sites our first
partners for Census 2000.
The dress rehearsal will provide an economic benefit through temporary
jobs for taking the census. The Census Bureau anticipates hiring
over 320 temporary workers to conduct various census operations. The
duration of the jobs will vary from a few weeks to nine months.
The Census Bureau plans to provide the city with results of the census,
including some basic demographic, economic, and housing data.
Return: "Census 2000 Dress Rehearsal" page