What is a Census?

A census is a procedure of counting and collecting information about the population in a country. Demographic, economic and social data is gathered to build up a database of statistics that can be used for research and planning such as how many hospitals or schools is needed in a certain geographic area.

Every 10 years since 1790 a census of the population of USA is conducted.  The first census took 18 months to complete and was conducted by federal marshals who went from door-to-door counting and taking down the names of all people in each household. Slaves were counted as three-fifths of a person and American Indians were not counted at all as they were excluded from taxes. The federal marshals wrote down the information in notebooks or on loose sheets of paper. In the first census 3.9 million people were counted.

In the census of 1830 the first centrally printed forms for collecting census data were used. There were 34 questions on the form.

In 1878 an amendment was made which put an end to the three-fifths counting rule for salves. The first census which counted all inhabitants as whole persons took place in 1870 and according to that census the U.S. resident population was counted to 38,558,371. There were 20 questions on the form.

In 1970 mail-in forms took precedence over door-to-door visits but the mail response was not as good as hoped for. In 1990 the answer rate was the lowest ever.

In the 2000 census 860,000 temporary workers were hired. The Census Bureau also hired a private company to make an advertising campaign in an effort to get people to fill the forms in. The short form included 7 questions while the long form included 52. One household out of six received the long form while all other households received the short form. In the 2000 census the U.S. resident population was counted to 281,421,906.

Since the latest census in 2000 the Census Bureau has worked on the design of a new form with new questions. These forms have been tried out at several stages during the development. It was decided that all residents will receive a short form which will only take a couple of minutes to fill in. The questions on the new form are only in regards to name, sex, age, date of birth, race, ethnicity, relationship and housing tenure. The American Community Survey will conduct more detailed socioeconomic surveys yearly. Their surveys will only be sent to a small percentage of the population at any one time so each household will roughly receive a survey every five years.

It is important to fill in the census form, not only because it is required by law, but also because it affects the future of all corners of the U.S. The result of the census will be considered when funding is allocated to communities for neighborhood improvements, public health, education and transportation amongst other things. The apportion of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives is also based on the census result. Not only will many planning decisions will be based on the result of the census, it also gives a good idea about the nation and its inhabitants as a whole.

Official US Census Bureau Regions and Divisions.