The U.S. Census Bureau’s Charlotte Regional Office has opened its regional census center, one of the 12 regional centers across the country to support the 2010 Census.

     The center, located in Whitehall Corporate Center at 3701 Arco Corporate Drive, in Charlotte, N.C., will employ about 250 people during its peak operations while overseeing field operations in 2010. The 35,000-square-foot site will also serve as the management location for the region’s 2010 Census operations.

     “Serving as the region’s operational hub for all 2010 Census activities, the regional census center will provide field management, recruiting, administrative, community outreach and automation support to approximately 52 local census offices and a temporary staff of thousands in our five-state region,” said Wayne Hatcher, regional director.

     Charlotte’s five-state region includes North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. All these states have experienced significant population growth within the last five years and have seen an increase in both the African-American and Hispanic/Latino populations.

     The 2010 Census will have one of the shortest census questionnaires in history, dating back to the nation’s first census in 1790. Census Day is April 1, 2010. The Census Bureau will mail or deliver more than 130 million questionnaires to households in the United States. All personal information will be kept confidential.

     Article 1, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution mandates an actual enumeration of the U.S. population for the purpose of the apportionment of congressional seats. In addition, state and local government agencies, tribal governments, businesses, academia, nonprofit organizations and members of the general public rely on census data to make informed decisions.