The United States Constitution (Article One Section II) requires a full population census every ten years. The results from the count set the number of members from each state in the House of Representatives. The Constitution further allowed the government to define the specifics of the process.
Marshals of the judicial districts conducted the first six census counts. That changed in 1840 when congress established the Census Office. With revisions every decade or so the situation remained the same until the 20th century. In 1903 the new Department of Commerce and Labor absorbed the Census Bureau. In 1954 Title 13 of the US Code established the current process.
The Census Bureau performs the modern census every decade in years ending with a zero. The results must be presented to the President by 31 December of that year. States receive them several months later.
Outside the decennial population count, the Census Bureau conducts surveys. The surveys cover demographic information (education, health, ethnicity, age, family, etc.) and economic conditions (retail, crime, agriculture, employment, manufacturing, etc.).
What is this information used for?
In addition to the apportionment of representatives, the population count is also used to allocate money from government programs. The federal government distributes more than $400B for transportation, education, health, etc., based on the census. Many state and local governments also use the data for managing their resources. Private entities use consumer spending and other demographic data to plan retail positions, locate facilities, and expand their businesses. Even students use the data.
Using census data, you can determine the geographic population center of the United States. In 1790 the center was on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, 23 miles east of Baltimore, MD. It remained within the original 13 colonies until 1860 when it was 20 miles east of Chillicothe, OH. The center continued moving west, finally crossing the Mississippi river in 1980. Projections for the 2020 census place it 8.3 miles north-northeast of Hartville, MO.
Here’s the full map.
In an interesting coincidence, this map tracks closely to the map of US route 50.
As always thanks for reading.
Armen
Note to pay the bills: The word census never appears in the over 350,000 words of the Warder series. That said, does a James Bond-like thriller in a fantasy setting interest you? If so, check out a summary of the series here or find links to purchase books here.
You always come up with interesting topics.
Well done.