Population
Census Results for the State of Arizona
County by County and City by City
EVERY PEORIA RESIDENT COUNT$!
CENSUS
2000. On April 1, 2000, the United States counted its citizens in what
was the largest peacetime effort in the history of the country. The Census has been
conducted every 10 years dating back to the first count in 1790. The results have provided
an important historical account of the changes that have occurred over the years. Equally
important, Census results paint a picture of where America is today and what our
needs will be tomorrow.
HOW IS THE DATA USED?
Well, for starters the combined numbers are used by the US government to re-apportion
congressional seats for each state; The US government also uses census figures to allocate
over $100 billion dollars in federal funds annually for employment services, housing
assistance, highway construction, hospital services, programs for the elderly, schools and
much more.
The figures also assist with the planning efforts
of public and private entities. For example, they are used in a variety of areas such as
urban planning, population forecasting, business-making decisions, locating factory sites,
medical research, school projects, governmental budget planning and drawing school
district boundaries to name a few.
But remember, it is the combined numbers –
not the individual answers – that are used to analyze trends. In fact, by law, the
Census Bureau cannot share your answers with others including welfare agencies, the
Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Internal Revenue Service, courts, police and
others for 72 years.
AND THE CHANGES HAVE
BEEN STAGGERING! The Census anticipates the results to show the population of
the United States at 118 million housing units and 275 million people. Locally, the Valley
population growth has exploded to become one of the largest metropolitan areas in the
United States. Peoria has grown from a 1990 population of 49,917 to top 101,235 by July of
1999. That is a doubling of population in the last 10 years alone!
AT STAKE FOR PEORIA IS
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. Since many Federal and State funding resources are
based on population, any undercounting will result in lost revenues. Essentially, for
every household uncounted, Peoria stands to lose an estimated $10,000 in State and Federal
funds over the next decade – or $3817 per person. The rapid growth puts a strain
on our city budget and resources. Therefore, it is important that ALL of our citizens are
counted so that we receive our fair share of Federal and State funding.
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