2010 Census Count Question Resolution Program

BASIC FACTS
SCOPE:
The Census Bureau’s 2010 Census Count Question
Resolution (CQR) Program provides state, local,
and tribal officials, or their designated representatives, in the United States and Puerto Rico a
process to challenge the census counts of housing
units and group quarters.
The Census Bureau will make corrections on the
basis of appropriate documentation provided by
the challenging governmental units and through
research of official 2010 Census records at the
Census Bureau.
The 2010 CQR corrections are based on housing and population counts as of April 1, 2010,
and geographic boundaries in place in the United
States and Puerto Rico as of January 1, 2010. The
Census Bureau will not add living quarters that
did not exist in the 2010 Census universe.
The 2010 CQR Program is not a mechanism or
process to challenge or revise the population
counts sent to the President by December 31,
2010, which are used to apportion the U.S. House
of Representatives. The Census Bureau will not
make any changes to the apportionment,
redistricting counts, or official 2010 Census
data products.

Attachment C (CQR Brochure - English)
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that, on
average, it will take 5.2 hours to prepare a CQR
challenge. Send comments regarding this burden
estimate or any other aspect of this burden to:
Paperwork Reduction Project 0607-0879,
U.S. Census Bureau,
AMSD-3K138,
4600 Silver Hill Road,
Washington, DC 20222.
You may e-mail comments to
; use “Paperwork
Project 0607-0879” as the subject.
CQR submissions are confidential and protected
by law under Title 13, U.S.C.
Participation in the CQR Program is required to
obtain or retain benefits.
You are not required to respond to any
information collection unless it displays a valid
approval number from the Office of Management
and Budget.

For more information about the
2010 Census Count Question Resolution
Program, please contact:
Count Question Resolution Office
Room 3H061
Decennial Management Division
U.S. Census Bureau
Washington, DC 20233
Telephone: 301-763-9329
Fax: 301-763-8327
E-mail: dmd.cqr@census.gov

For detailed information about the
2010 Census CQR Program, visit:

THREE TYPES OF CHALLENGES ACCEPTED
BY THE CQR PROGRAM:
Boundary Challenges correct inaccurate
reporting or recording of boundaries legally in
effect on January 1, 2010.
Geocoding Challenges correct the placement
of living quarters and associated population
within the correct governmental unit boundaries
and 2010 census tabulation blocks.
Coverage Challenges add or delete specific
living quarters and people associated with
them, identified during the census process, but
erroneously included as duplicates or excluded
due to processing errors.

U.S. Department of Commerce
Economics and Statistics Administration
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Issued November 2010
Form D-2010B CQR

OMB No. 0607-0879
Approval Expires XX/XX/XXXX

2010 CENSUS
COUNT
QUESTION
RESOLUTION
PROGRAM

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
1. What is the Count Question Resolution
(CQR) Program?
The 2010 CQR Program is the mechanism for
state, local, or tribal officials of governmental
units in the United States and Puerto Rico to
challenge the 2010 Census counts of housing
units and group quarters.
2. When can I submit a CQR challenge?
The 2010 CQR Program will accept challenges
beginning June 1, 2011, and ending with
challenges that are postmarked, faxed, or
e-mailed by June 1, 2013. The Census Bureau
will review challenges in the order received.
3. Who can submit a CQR challenge?
The Census Bureau will only accept challenges
from the highest elected or appointed official
of state, local, and tribal area governmental
units or those representing them or acting on
their behalf.

WHICH GOVERNMENTAL UNITS ARE ELIGIBLE TO SUBMIT A 2010 Census Count Question Resolution
(CQR) CHALLENGE?
1. States and statistically equivalent entities can
submit challenges for their state or equivalent,
plus any counties or equivalent entities, minor
civil divisions, incorporated places (including
consolidated cities), state designated tribal
statistical areas, state-recognized American
Indian Reservations, Hawaiian Home Lands,
and (in Hawaii and Puerto Rico only) for census
designated places within their jurisdiction.
Puerto Rico may also submit challenges for subminor civil divisions.
2. Counties and statistically equivalent entities can
submit challenges for their county or equivalent
entity plus any minor civil divisions, incorporated places, and (in Hawaii and Puerto Rico

4. Where can I submit a CQR challenge?
All 2010 CQR challenges must be submitted
through the mail or electronically to the CQR
Program staff at Census Bureau headquarters.
The addresses are on the back panel of this
brochure.

If a challenge involves an American Indian
reservation or off-reservation trust land, the maps
must identify the American Indian area and census
tabulation block boundary.

5. What documentation is required for a
CQR challenge?
The Census Bureau requires specific documentation before committing resources
to investigate a challenge. The submitted
challenges must specify whether the challenge
disputes the location of a governmental unit
boundary, the location of/or number of
housing units and/or group quarters counts
in one or more 2010 census tabulation blocks,
or both.

• 2010 Census Public Law 94-171 County
Block Maps,
• 2010 Census County Block Maps,
• Maps derived from 2010 TIGER/Line
shapefiles, and
• Other maps or GIS data showing Census Bureau
2010 tabulation block numbers and boundaries.

Maps must identify the state, county, 2010
census tract(s) and 2010 census tabulation
blocks associated with the challenge.

Acceptable address lists include:

The following is a list of acceptable maps:

Address lists of housing units and/or group
quarters located in the challenged areas are also
required.

• City-Style Address Lists,
• Non-City-Style Address Lists, and
• Group Quarters Address Lists.

only) census designated places within their
jurisdiction. Municipios in Puerto Rico may
also submit challenges for sub-minor civil
divisions.
3. Actively functioning minor civil divisions can
submit challenges for their minor civil
division plus any incorporated place within
their jurisdiction.
4. Incorporated places (including consolidated
cities) can submit challenges for their place.

tribal designated statistical areas, and
Oklahoma tribal statistical areas, plus any
American Indian tribal subdivisions within
their jurisdiction.
6. Alaska Native Regional Corporations can
submit challenges for their regional
corporation and for Alaska Native village
statistical areas (ANVSAs) within their
jurisdiction.
7. Alaska Native Village statistical areas can
submit challenges for their ANVSA.

5. Federally-recognized American Indian tribes
can submit challenges for American Indian
reservation or off-reservation trust lands,

The Census Bureau requests that challengers
use one or more of the address list templates
provided on the 2010 CQR Web site, as appropriate, when submitting challenge documentation.
In addition, mark the exact location of each
challenged address on a map containing 2010
census tract and tabulation block(s).
For a more detailed explanation of the
documentation requirements, refer to the 2010
CQR Federal Register Notice located on the CQR
Web site at
or call the CQR Office at 301-763-9329.

2010 Census Count Resolution
Program (CQR) CHALLENGE
RESULTS
• The Census Bureau will notify all affected
governmental units of any corrections to their
official counts as a result of a CQR Program
decision.

• Corrections made to the population and
housing unit counts by this program will
result in the issuance of new official 2010
Census counts to the officials of governmental units affected.
• Governmental units may use CQR corrections
for future programs requiring official 2010
Census data. The Census Bureau will use the
CQR corrections to:
• Modify the 2010 Census file for use in
annual postcensal estimates beginning
in December 2012, and
• Create errata and make it available on
the American FactFinder.
• The Census Bureau will not incorporate the
CQR corrections into any 2010 Census data
products.