Census QuickFacts

The QuickFacts data access tool provides users with easy access to basic population, business, and geography statistics for all states and counties, and for cities and towns with more than 5,000 people. This resource is appropriate for use by students.

CLICK HERE TO SEE CURRENT CENSUS QUICKFACTS

ABOUT THE UNITED STATES CENSUS

The Census is a questionnaire that asks about the number of people living in the United States. Knowing the number of people in a city, county, or the whole state allows for the planning of day-to-day operations, the future, and even emergencies.

Census data is used to distribute federal funding and to draw districts for everything from Congress, to school boards, and local representation.

When the United States Constitution was written in 1787, it mandated that a Census be taken every 10 years. The first Census was taken in 1790. The most recent Census was done in 2020.

On Census Day, April 1, 2010, there were 308,745,538 people living in the United States. That was a 9.7 percent increase from the 2000 Census when there was 281,421,906 people in the United States. The latest Census data will be released in the spring of 2021.

Census-taking has changed with the size of the United States' population and the introduction of new technology. In 2020, the U.S. Census was offered in three formats: online, over the phone, or by mail. For the first time, the primary format was be online. The Census was also be available to be completed over the phone or by mail with the standard questionnaire.