JEFFERSON CITY, MO. (AP) -- Missouri officials are urging citizens to be counted in the 2010 U.S. Census.
Office of Administration Commissioner Kelvin Simmons told reporters Monday in Jefferson City that the census collects data that affects Missourians' daily lives.
The census is taken once per decade and is used to set legislative districts and distribute federal money. The state risks losing one of its seats in Congress.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 31 percent of Missourians did not return their census form in 2000. Census workers visit the homes of those who do not respond.
A similar event was held Monday in St. Louis. The 2000 U.S. Census reported 5.59 million people in Missouri. An updated 2008 estimate showed 6 million people in the state.
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