Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Every Census

Sounds like a whole lot of stuff, doesn't it?  Well, we aren't going to go into every nuance, but there are some basic things you should know about each census before you go off wandering through them on your own.

First, you should know that just about every one of them (there have been 23 since 1790) comes at the concept from a different perspective.  Yes, the general idea is to find out, more or less, how many folks live(d) in the U.S. at any give time. But sooner or later they figured out that, as long as they were out there pounding the pavement and doing the leg-work, they might as well find out a few more things as well.

So before you grab some information out of a census, take a look at a blank form sheet and read through the column headings to see just what you might expect to find, should you happen upon a relation or two in your journey.

Some interesting general facts about the history of the census follow:

1. 1790 - taken on 2 Aug 1790 - population 3,929,326
2. 1800 - taken on 4 Aug 1800 - population 5,308,483
3. 1810 - taken on 6 Aug 1810 - population 7,239,881
4. 1820 - taken on 7 Aug 1820 - population 9,638,453
5. 1830 - taken on 1 Jun 1930 - population 12,866,020
6. 1840 - taken on 1 Jun 1840 - population 17,069,453 - The census estimated the population of the United States at 17,100,000. The results were tabulated by 28 clerks in the Bureau of the Census.
7. 1850 - taken on 1 Jun 1850 - population 23,191,876 - The 1850 census was a landmark year in American census-taking. It was the first year in which the census bureau attempted to record every member of every household, including women, children and slaves. Accordingly, the first slave schedules were produced in 1850. Prior to 1850, census records had only recorded the name of the head of the household and tabulated the other household members within given age groups.
8. 1860 - taken on 1 Jun 1960 - population 31,443,321 - The results were tabulated by 184 clerks in the Bureau of the Census.  This was the first census where the American Indians officially were counted, but only those who had 'renounced tribal rules'. The figure for the nation was 40,000.
9. 1870 - taken on 1 Jun 1970 - population 39,819,449
10. 1880 - taken on 1 Jun 1880 - population 50, 189,209 -
    This was the first census that permitted women to be enumerators.
11. 1890 - taken on 1 Jun 1890 - 62,947,714 - Because it was believed that the frontier region of the United States no longer existed, the tracking of westward migration was not tabulated in the 1890 census.[13] This trend prompted Frederick Jackson Turner to develop his milestone Frontier Thesis.  The 1890 census was the first to be compiled on a tabulating machine, developed by Herman Hollerith.[14] The introduction of this technology reduced the time taken to tabulate the census from seven years for the 1880 census to two and a half years for the 1890 census. The total population of 62,622,250 was announced after only six weeks of processing. The public reaction to this tabulation was disbelief, as it was widely believed that the "right answer" was at least 75,000,000.  This census is also notable for the fact it is one of only three for which the original data is no longer available. Almost all the population schedules were destroyed following a fire in 1921.
12. 1900 - taken on 1 Jun 1900 - population 76,212,168
13. 1910 - taken on 15 Apr 1910 - population 92,228,496
14. 1920 - taken on 1 Jan 1920 - population 106,021,537 - This was the first census that recorded a population exceeding 100 million.
15. 1930 - taken on 1 Apr 1930 - population 122,775,046
16. 1940 - taken on 1 Apr 1940 - population 122,775,046 - This is the most recent Census where individuals' data has now been released to the public (by the 72-year rule).
17. 1950 - taken on 1 Apr 1950 - population 150,697,361 - Because of the 72-year rule, this census will be available for public inspection on April 1, 2022.
18. 1960 - taken on 1 Apr 1960 - population 179,323,175 - Because of the 72-year rule, this census will be available for public inspection on April 1, 2032.
19. 1970 - taken on 1 Apr 1970 - population 203,302,031 - This was the first census that recorded a population exceeding 200 million. Because of the 72-year rule, this census will be available for public inspection on April 1, 2042.
20. 1980 - taken on 1 Apr 1980 - population 226,545,805 - Because of the 72-year rule, this census will be available for public inspection on April 1, 2052.
21. 1990 - taken on 1 Apr 1990 - population 248,709,873 - Because of the 72-year rule, this census will be available for public inspection on April 1, 2062.
22. 2000 - taken on 1 Apr 2000 - population 281,421,906 - Because of the 720year rule, this census will be available for public inspection on April 1, 2072.
23. 2010 - taken on 1 Apr 2010 - population 308,745,538 - For the first time since 1940, the 2010 Census is a short-form-only census, as the decennial long form has been replaced by theAmerican Community Survey.  This was the first census that recorded a population exceeding 300 million. Because of the 72-year rule, this census will be available for public inspection on April 1, 2082.

 "United States Census." Wikipedia. Accessed April 29, 2015. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Census.