Have you sent back your census form? Were you hearing that yesterday was the deadline for sending back your completed form? Relax; it wasn't, you still have time.  The Census Bureau noted yesterday that while yesterday was "Census Day," it will continue to accept mailed-back censuses until mid-April. On May 1st workers will begin visiting houses of those who did not return the form to collect data.

Maybe you need a little inspiration. Check to see how your neighborhood is doing in 2010 Census returns with theTake 10 Map. This map lets you track compliance with the 2010 Census all over the US.

The front page shows the top 50 most participating cities with a population of 50,000 or more, as well as the most compliant states. (Summary: North and South Dakota win.) But local data is available too; just search for a city and state. You'll have different zoom levels to view on the Census map; Wake County at this writing has a 56% participation rate, which is not as good as Chatham County (63%) but is better than some other counties. It looks like the entire state hovers between about 48% and about 65%.

You can also zoom down as close as zip code level. Looks like the participation rate in the 27605 area, where the WRAL studios are located, is currently about 54%. Click on a section of a map and you'll also get a chart comparing this Census participation with the 2000 Census, as well as participation on a state level. You can also get code to embed current participation rates, updated in real time, on your site.

You can get more details on the Census at http://2010.census.gov/2010census/.