NOTICE: Corvallis Area Office Has Moved to Tangent, OR

PROGRAM ALERT: Implementation of 2010 Census Data for Rural Development Programs

Rural Development programs are available to eligible applicants in rural areas. Both population and income data from the United States Census are used by USDA for making program eligibility determinations.

Population Data

As the population data from the 2010 Decennial Census becomes available, we have had numerous inquiries about possible changes to areas designated for program eligibility. USDA has recently announced that the transition to using data from the 2010 Decennial Census will be implemented on March 27, 2013. Until that time, and unless specifically directed otherwise, Rural Development programs will continue to use the population data from the 2000 Decennial Census for program purposes. The data can be found at factfinder2.census.gov.

Income Data

Unlike in previous years, the 2010 Decennial Census employed a significantly shortened questionnaire that included only the subject’s name, gender, age, race, ethnicity, relationship and whether the residence is owned or rented. The Census Bureau discontinued collecting income date in the 2010 Decennial Census. In order to continue to deliver our loan and grant programs, Rural Development will use the American Community Survey (ACS) provided by the Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau as the source for data related to Median Household Income (MHI) and State Non-Metropolitan Median Household Income. The data can be found at factfinder2.census.gov.

For more detailed information, please refer to Rural Development Administrative Notice AN 4679, dated September 27, 2012, online at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd-an_list.html. For program-specific questions, please contact your local USDA Rural Development specialist.