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VT SDC Home  |  Data Resources for Vermonters  |  Census Activities in Vermont
The Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) Program, 2007-2008
...for the 2010 Census
  1. Little known fact: the Census survey that we are familiar with and the new American Community Survey are NOT sent to PEOPLE, they are sent to HOUSING UNITS.
  2. Only after a survey arrives at your home does the Census Bureau learn anything about you and your household.
  3. So, the Census can't be accurate if the Bureau doesn't know about all of the housing units in your town!
  4. THAT is where local governments come in...
  5. This website summarizes this 18-month effort of the Vermont State Data Center, the Vermont Center for Geographic Information, and participating towns, cities and villages to ensure a complete and accurate count of Vermont in 2010.

The LUCA Effort in Vermont...

January 2007
The Census Bureau sent informational letters on the LUCA program to every municipality in Vermont. Having been briefed on the program by Census Bureau staff, the Vermont State Data Center (SDC) approached the State of Vermont, the Vermont Center for Geographic Information (VCGI), and Vermont's Regional Planning Commissions (RPCs) to discuss activities to encourage Vermont's local governments to participate in LUCA and lend technical assistance to make the process as quick and easy as possible.
March 15, 2007
The Vermont State Data Center unveiled the Vermont LUCA website containing information on the program for Vermont local officials, a schedule of informational/training events around the state, and an opportunity to subscribe to the SDC's Census 2010 email listserve for updates.
April to June 2007
Vermont State Data Center and Census Bureau staff held 13 informational sessions around the state, attended by officials from at least 70 Vermont municipalities, to help local officials decide if and how they would like to participate in LUCA. The sessions were held in Bennington, Brattleboro, Colchester, Fairlee, Hartford, Lyndonville, Middlebury, Morrisville, Newport, Randolph, Rutland (twice) and St. Albans.
August 2007
The Census Bureau began sending LUCA invitation packages to every Vermont municipality, inviting them to make their LUCA participation choice and register. Once registered, local governments had 120 days to complete the LUCA program.
September to November 2007
Vermont State Data Center and Census Bureau staff held 8 training sessions around the state, attended by officials from at least 45 Vermont municipalities, to show local officials the steps of participating in LUCA and to explain the specialized assistance that would be available from the SDC. The sessions were held in Berlin, Brattleboro, Hartford, Middlebury, Morrisville, Rutland, St. Albans and St. Johnsbury.
October 3, 2007
The Vermont State Data Center registered to participate in LUCA and submit a housing unit address list file for the entire state. The SDC was in talks with VCGI to produce a file that joined Vermont State E-911 housing unit addresses with the Census Bureaus LUCA file format. This would be the statewide LUCA submission and would be the first time that the Census Bureau had the full benefit of Vermont's E-911 efforts over the past decade. VCGI would also produce the E-911 LUCA file for each Vermont town and city, resulting in the "Starter Files."
October 2007 to May 2008
Vermont State Data Center began an ongoing outreach campaign, primarily via telephone, to contact Vermont municipalities, first to encourage them to register for LUCA, and eventually to assist registered participants with the process and to help them complete and submit their final LUCA address lists.
December 31, 2007
The deadline for local governments to send their LUCA registration forms to the Census Bureau.
January 25, 2008
The Vermont State Data Center posted the LUCA Starter Files on the SDC website for downloading by Vermont LUCA participants. A solution custom-made for Vermont municipalities by VCGI and the SDC, the starter files were pre-populated with E-911 housing addresses in the LUCA file format for each town and city. Rather than create their address lists from scratch, as in many other states, local governments participating in Vermont only had to error-check and enhancement their starter file before submitting to the Census Bureau.
April 4, 2008
The deadline for local governments to get their finished LUCA submissions to the Census Bureau.
April 30, 2008
The deadline for local governments to get their LUCA data to the Vermont State Data Center for inclusion in Vermont's statewide submission.
May 21, 2008
The Vermont State Data Center sent Vermont's LUCA submission to the Census Bureau. The file contained 274,938 housing unit addresses and the participation data from 45 Vermont municipalities.
November 2008 to June 2009
The Census Bureau will process all incoming LUCA data and canvas the entire U.S. to verify housing unit locations.
April 1, 2010
CENSUS DAY, 2010.

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Accomplishments and Products...

Results:
  • The Vermont statewide LUCA address files, originally constructed by the Vermont Center for Geographic Information and submitted to the Census Bureau by the Vermont State Data Center, contained 274,938 housing unit addresses, 11,959 of which were the result of local government review and revisions.

  • Eighty Vermont municipalities registered with the Census Bureau to participate in the LUCA program. Fifty-two of them completed and submitted their LUCA data, either alone or as part of the statewide submission.

Products:

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Comments to: crs@uvm.edu
Reviewed on 06.10.08