US Census Bureau yields stronger results
The first census was conducted in 1790 and counts all U.S. residents every ten years. Responses to the 2010 Census will determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives. Census data is also used to re-draw the boundaries of Congressional districts each decade and distribute more than $400 billion in federal funding to state, local and tribal programs.
Challenge
The U.S. Census Bureau and GPO started planning for the 2010 Census Mailing soon after the 2000 Census was complete. The goal was to maximize mail response, reduce costs and limit the number of house-to-house interviews that would be required, since it costs approximately $57 for each in-field followup.
Solution
The U.S. Census Bureau and the Government Printing Office (GPO) worked with industry experts to design and execute a data-driven approach to direct mail that yielded stronger results and dramatic savings. Integrated front- and back-end automation, including using high speed sorters to identify all incoming returns, allowed census officials to re-mail 40 million non-responders in a two-week window, which led to an additional 3.7 million returns. Read complete story.
Benefits
- Significant cost savings
- Census mailing completed on time and on budget