Web site tracks each county's response to census forms

COEUR d'ALENE - The U.S. Census Bureau has launched an interactive Web site on Google Maps showing initial 2010 census participation rates. As of Saturday, Kootenai County's mail-participation rate was at 41 percent, below Benewah County at 51 percent, which was tops in the state.

COEUR d'ALENE - The U.S. Census Bureau has launched an interactive Web site on Google Maps showing initial 2010 census participation rates.

As of Saturday, Kootenai County's mail-participation rate was at 41 percent, below Benewah County at 51 percent, which was tops in the state.

Bonner County was at 31 percent, and Shoshone County was at 33 percent, 1 percent off the national pace of 34 percent. Idaho had reached 37 percent participation.

Kootenai County's participation was 74 percent in 2000, ahead of Benewah at 67 percent, Bonner at 57 percent, and Shoshone at 66 percent.

The Census Bureau is updating the Web site daily, and it anticipates that participation rates will significantly increase throughout this month and next, as households continue to receive and mail back the census questionnaire forms.

The participation rates reflect the number of households sending back the census forms that were sent to 90 percent of the population with home-mail delivery, and the 10 percent without city-style mailing addresses in rural areas.

The collaborative partnership with Google and the Census Bureau allows communities the ability to track how their area is responding to the once-a-decade count.

The Census Bureau Web site is at www.2010census.gov/2010census/take10map/.

Most households in Idaho received the 10-question form in mailboxes last week.

It costs the government the price of postage when a household mails back the forms, but costs the Census Bureau $57 to follow up with a non-responsive household.

The census is mandated by the U.S. Constitution. Census data determine boundaries for state and local legislative and congressional districts. More than $400 billion in federal funds are distributed annually based on census data to pay for local programs and services, such as schools, highways, vocational training, emergency services, hospitals, and unemployment benefits.