Coatesville possibly lost hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past 10 years because it was undercounted by up to 46 percent in the 2000 census.

Richard Sumter, of the Philadelphia Regional Census Center, told city council last night, only 54 percent of the city's residents were counted in the 2000 census. That meant, he said, the city lost out on increased funds from 31 federal programs. "So when the federal dollars came in instead of going to Coatesville, they went to another community," Sumter said.

By partnering with the Census Bureau, said Sumter, the city could reverse that count. He said this year the census form has been simplified to only 10 questions. All information, he added, is confidential and will not be shared with anyone, including other federal agencies and law enforcement entities. "We just want to get an accurate count so the people here get the federal dollars they're entitled to," he said.

The U.S. Constitution requires that a count of all residents, citizens and non-citizens, be taken every 10 years. The information is used to proportionally allocate seats in the U.S. House of Representatives . "In the past 15 to 20 years, Pennsylvania has lost 12 congressional seats," said Sumter.

According to Sumter, 7,000 to 10,000 workers will be hired by the Census Bureau in the Philadelphia region to assist in the head count. "We want it so that the person knocking on the door is a familiar face," he said.