On January, the 2010 Census Portrait of America Road Tour started its journey across the United States and Puerto Rico to educate communities about the 2010 Census. One national and 12 regional vehicles drive around targeting high-attendance events, celebrations and ethnic community gatherings to reach out to the diverse U.S. population. To connect with the Russian-speaking population, the Road Tour vehicles will visit some Russian American neighborhoods, encouraging everyone to complete the 10-question form when it is released in March 2010.

At each stop, Road Tour representatives will share images and stories, explaining why the census will make a difference in the communities. A once-in-a-decade experience, the Portrait of America Tour is designed to educate the public about the census, inspire interest in the process and encourage participation, especially within historically hard-to count groups like the Russian American community. The national and regional vehicles are interactive and each includes GPS technology that allows visitors to track the tour online as it happens.

For more information about the 2010 Census Portrait of America Road Tour please visit 2010census.gov.

About the 2010 Census

The 2010 Census is a count of everyone living in the United States. By law, everyone in the United States, both citizens and non-citizens, must be counted every 10 years. Census data is used to reapportion congressional seats to states and directly affect how more than $ 400 billion per year in federal funding is distributed to state, local and tribal governments. The 2010 Census form is one of the shortest census forms in the history and takes about 10 minutes to complete. Russian-language forms are also will be available for those, who don’t speak English. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share respondents’ answers with anyone, including other federal agencies and law enforcement entities.