The U.S. Constitution requires the federal government to count the population every 10 years and the U.S. Census Bureau is prepared to meet the extraordinary challenge of ensuring everyone residing in the United States — including those in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands — are counted in the 2010 Census. Questionnaires will be mailed in March 2010, but preparations are under way to provide a new and more accurate portrait of America.

As the leader of the $35.3 billion equipment rental industry, the American Rental Association (ARA) has partnered with the U.S. Census Bureau to help spread the word to businesses represented within this broad industry about the significance of the study.

“Census data is used to guide local decision-makers on where to build new roads, hospitals, schools and more. This is a direct correlation to the equipment rental industry as many of these projects require the use of rental equipment. It becomes a winning combination of efforts by ARA supporting the census,” said Christine Wehrman, ARA’s executive vice president and CEO. “By signing on as a partner, we are sending a strong message about the importance of the census and the benefits of being counted.”

The U.S. Census Bureau sees partnerships with for-profit and non-profit organizations and government entities as vital to raising awareness of and increasing participation in this historic event. “The participation of community leaders, organizations and local governments can help make the 2010 Census the most accurate census in our nation’s history,” said Steve Murdock, director of the U.S. Census Bureau. More than 300 national partners have signed on to date.