2010 Census comes in under budget

Locke credited Census director Robert Groves, who took over last year vowing to stabilize the Census’s technology problems and increase the transparency of operations.

“In early 2009, the 2010 Census was in need of top-notch operational and fiscal management,” Locke said. “We appointed Dr. Groves to execute the 2010 Census with a directive to run a successful, non-partisan Census that counted everyone. … With proficient management, the cooperation of the American public and a little bit of luck, the Census stayed on track with significant cost savings to taxpayers.”

To improve the response rate, the administration analyzed early data on returns and increased its media buys in markets that seriously lagged in response. Daily meetings between senior leadership and the technical team in charge of troubleshooting the IT system that manages field operations also helped keep the system — which was deemed likely to fail by the Government Accountability Office and the Commerce Inspector General — functioning throughout the count.

$800 million of the savings came from the reserve funds set aside for a natural disaster or operational breakdowns. Another $650 million was saved during door-to-door operations due to the high response rate. Costs for counting the population in Alaska and tribal lands also came in well below estimates, saving a further $150 million.

“This is a significant accomplishment and I would like to thank the American public for responding to the Census and the more than 255,000 private and public sector partners who joined with us in making the 2010 Census a success,” Groves said. “My management team and I, along with a dedicated workforce, have worked diligently to ensure a successful Census while being vigilant with taxpayer dollars.”