South Carolina works toward counting all residents in the 2010 census.
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COLUMBIA -- During the 2000 count, the Palmetto State had the second-worst response rate in the nation. That means millions of dollars that would of come to the state went elsewhere.
The Heyward Career and Technology Center serves 900 Richland County high school students. But offering vocational education opportunities has a price.
Principal Sherry Rivers says funding for the center comes from census population formulas.
“The career and technology center’s programs receive funding from the local, state and federal level,” says Rivers. “Without this funding, our programs certainly would not be possible.”
In the 2000 census, officials say an estimated 48,000 people in South Carolina were missed and that adds up.
"We lose about $1,200 dollars per person each year,” says Public Information Coordinator Rania Jamison for the 2010 census, “and so we’re talking about millions of dollars that are left on the table for each person that is not counted.
That’s $60 million per year in federal funding for education programs, roads and healthcare.
“The truth of the matter is that the census form is directly related to the things that residents in our state request,” says Jamison. “The more people we can get counted in our state, the better we fair off as a state.”
Also weighing on the 2010 census is an extra seat in the U.S. House, as well as an additional vote in the electoral college.
In March, some 1.8 million South Carolina households will receive a census form made up of 10 short questions. And while you’re being counted, others are counting on you.
