History
Fact-finding is one of America's oldest activities. In the early 1600s, a census was taken in Virginia, and people were counted in nearly all of the British colonies that later became the United States.
Following independence, there was an almost immediate need for a census of the entire nation. The first census was taken in 1790, under the responsibility of Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. That census, taken by U.S. marshals on horseback, counted 3.9 million inhabitants.
As America grew, the nation's interests grew more complex. The country needed statistics to help people understand what was happening and to plan for growth, and the content of the decennial census changed accordingly. In 1810, the census was expanded to obtain information on the manufacturing, quantity and value of products. In 1840, the census added questions on fisheries. And, in 1850, the census collected data on issues such as taxation, churches, pauperism and crime.
Over the decades, censuses spread to new states and areas under U.S. sovereignty or jurisdiction. There were so many inquiries and so many new geographic entities in the census of 1880 that it took almost a full decade to tabulate and publish the results. This led to the first use of tabulating machines in the 1890 census, which counted nearly 63 million people. These punch-card machines, invented by former Census Bureau employee Herman Hollerith, evolved into computers when Hollerith founded what was to become the IBM Corp. Throughout its existence, the Census Bureau has played a pioneering role in the use of technology to fulfill its role as "America's Fact Finder."
As America grew, changes in the economy became more frequent and far-reaching. Since government officials and businesses had to adjust their plans as these changes occurred, they needed more frequent reports on them. To meet these needs, the Census Bureau became a permanent institution by an act of Congress in 1902.
Today, in addition to taking a census of the population every 10 years, the Census Bureau conducts censuses of economic activity and state and local governments every five years. And every year, the Census Bureau conducts more than 100 other surveys.
The sole purpose of the censuses and surveys is to collect general statistical information from individuals and establishments in order to compile statistics. The confidentiality of replies is important. By law, no one—neither the census-takers nor any other Census Bureau employee—is permitted to reveal information that could identify any person, household or business.
The Census Bureau employs nearly 12,000 people. The workforce expands dramatically when the census is taken every 10 years. About 860,000 temporary workers were hired for Census 2000.
The Census Bureau is headed by a director, who is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate. Headquartered just outside Washington in Suitland, Md., the Census Bureau has 12 regional offices, in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Seattle, and a processing center in Jeffersonville, Ind. Call centers are located in Hagerstown, Md., and Tucson, Ariz. A computer facility is housed at Bowie, Md.
Source: U.S. Census
Bureau
Last Revised: Thursday, 29-May-2003 17:03:21 EDT
