Economic Problems to Cause Census 2010 Challenges

U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Groves is concerned about the ability to conduct an accurate Census 2010 due to the nation's economic difficulties. The large number of home foreclosures and increasing numbers of homeless will make it challenging to locate individuals to count. In addition, large numbers of recent immigrants who do not speak English will also cause counting issues. Additionally, Groves reports, local and state governments have slashed funding for census outreach, which has long provided positive responses to the Bureau's efforts. The Los Angeles Times has more.

On a related note, the newgeography blog has a fantastic article from Joel Kotkin reflecting on recent trends for families not to move as often in the United States. He argues that there is a trend toward what he calls "localism." The economic situation has caused a increased recent surge of localism as fewer people are able to move for career changes.