By Alabama Public Radio
Washington, DC – The U-S Census Bureau will send about 51-thousand of its new American Community Surveys to Alabama residents this year. A Census spokesperson says the surveys will eventually replace the traditional ten-year census forms that are used to calculate the country's population. They will be randomly mailed to every county in the nation each month. The American Community Survey contains about 60 questions concerning household size, ethnicity, property values and education levels. Census data is also used to determine how federal funds are allocated. The last census influenced how 200 billion dollars in federal funds was awarded.