Jan 11, 2010 — This spring, an army of temporary workers will fan out across the North Country to count its residents for the 2010 census. The federal government is spending $300 million nationwide to remind people to fill out their census forms. The stakes are high, especially in places like New York, where the population has been declining. Census figures are used to draw legislative districts and distribute federal and state money.

So the pressure is on in northern New York to count as many people as possible. St. Lawrence County got a federal grant to reach out to hard-to-count populations, like college students, the Amish, and Mexican dairy workers. John Tenbush is a planner with St. Lawrence County. He spoke with David Sommerstein.