Take 10 Map

Download these data [Zip, 1138kb]

How This Map Works

To begin using the map, enter your zip code, or your city and state, in the search field and click the “find” button. Once you do this, a national view of the map will appear with a pin on the exact location you chose.

Start exploring participation rates by choosing "county", "place", or "local" views using the map tool in the upper-left hand corner. When you choose "county" the map will display your area’s county and the counties surrounding it, all colored-coded according to their Census 2000 participation. Click on your county to launch a window that shows its participation rate. Drag this window across other counties to compare and contrast other county participation rates. For a more refined display of participation data, click on "place" or "view". Both views are color-coded and clickable just like "county"

Geographic lines on this map, such as those for state or county borders, have been simplified to shorten load times, and thus are only approximate. The Take 10 Program provides participation rate data for incorporated places (cities, towns, villages) but not for unincorporated places. Please try zooming in to the next level for tract data or zoom out to the level above for county data.

Why do some areas appear as zeros or blank spaces on the map?

In some parts of the country, including remote areas, Indian reservations, or areas without postal delivery the Census Bureau does not send a form to the household and instead we send an enumerator to collect the household information. Tracts in which the great majority of residences are not part of the mail-back universe will have no mail participation rate and appear as un-shaded spaces on the map. For purposes of this map these areas are marked with a "0" or are left blank. As we start to track daily Mail Participation Rates on this map beginning March 22, these counties will be assigned the national 2000 Census average participation rate of 72 percent for comparison purposes. In addition, this first version of the participation rate map does not include rates for towns and townships in the Northeast and Midwest. However, rates are available for all tracts in those areas, and you can still zoom using town/township name and state to see tract-level rates. The 2010 daily rate map launching in late March will include towns and townships.

What is a mail participation rate?

The Mail Participation Rate is the percentage of forms mailed back by households that received them. The Census Bureau developed this new measure in 2010, in part because of the current economy and higher rates of vacant housing. The rate excludes households whose forms were returned to us by the U.S. Postal Service as "undeliverable," strongly suggesting the house was vacant. We will still follow up on all these housing units to ensure everyone is counted.

Mail Participation Rate is a higher number than the Mail Response Rate we have used over the last decade, but it is a better measure of actual participation and therefore an easier goal to achieve when residents mail back their forms. In 2000, the national Mail Response Rate was 67% and the comparable national Mail Participation Rate was 72%. The Mail Response Rate is important to help us plan for the important door-to-door workload that begins in May during which we visit all households that have not returned a census form.

Are You a Government or Tribal Official?

Join the challenge to increase your community's Mail back participation rate from 2000 and to help ensure your community receives federal funding. Access our electronic toolkit to find ideas to inspire people to have a voice in their future with the 2010 Census.

* Please note, because this is a tool primarily intended for local and state officials, only participation rates for counties, incorporated places, and the census tracts within them, will be displayed. Not all locations viewable on this map can be found in Census Bureau data products.

Watch the Portrait of America Unveil in Real Time.

Be sure you check back here when the 2010 Census begins in March 2010. The map will track mail back participation rates, enabling you to see how well your community is participating in real time and to compare your community with others.