Read complete books and articles on: U. S. Decennial Census

Census - periodic official count of the number of persons and their condition and of the resources of a country. In ancient times, among the Jews and Romans, such enumeration was mainly for taxation and conscription purposes. The introduction of the modern census—a periodic and thorough statistical review—began in the 17th cent. The first efforts to count people in areas larger than cities at regular periods were in French Canada (1665), Sweden (1749), the Italian states (1770), and the United States (1790). The first British census was taken in 1801. The Belgian census of 1846, directed by Adolphe Quetelet, was the most influential in its time because it introduced a careful analysis and critical evaluation of the data compiled. Most industrialized countries now take a census every 5 to 10 years.

Scientific census-taking in the United States began with the decennial census of 1850, when the scope and methods were greatly improved by making the individual the unit of study. In 1902 the Bureau of the Census was established in the Dept. of the Interior; the following year it was transferred to the Dept. of Commerce and Labor and remained in the Dept. of Commerce when the Dept. of Labor was separated (1913). In addition to being a vital source of statistical data about the nation, information from the U.S. census is also used to allocate federal resources.

The government was criticized and also sued for undercounting the homeless and minorities in the 1990 census. In 1996 the Supreme Court ruled that the decision to adjust the count is left to the discretion of the secretary of commerce. The government proposed remedying the problem of undercounting through the use of statistical adjustments to the 2000 census, but the Supreme Court ruled (1998) against the plan, and the traditional head-count method prevailed. In 2001 the government again decided to use unadjusted census figures. About 3.3 million people, largely minorities, were estimated to have been missed by the 2000 census; a smaller number were thought to have been counted twice. Unadjusted census figures are generally believed to favor Republicans in the drawing of districts for the House of Representatives.

See W. S. Holt, The Bureau of the Census (1929, repr. 1974); F. Yates, Sampling Methods for Censuses and Surveys (4th ed. 1980); M. J. Anderson, The American Census (1990); S. Roberts, Who We Are: A Portrait of America Based on the 1990 Census (1994).

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12 of the Best Books and Articles on: U. S. Decennial Census

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

Historical Statistics of the States of the United States: Two Centuries of the Census, 1790-1990 » Read Now
by Donald B. Dodd. 482 pgs.

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This volume is a census-focused compilation of state-level population, agriculture, and manufacturing data for the fifty states and the District of Columbia. It also includes population figures for the largest 1990 cities from 1790 to 1990. Thus it fills a gap in the historical statistics provided...
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This volume is a census-focused compilation of state-level population, agriculture, and manufacturing data for the fifty states and the District of Columbia. It also includes population figures for the largest 1990 cities from 1790 to 1990. Thus it fills a gap in the historical statistics provided by the government publication, Historical Statistics of the United States (1975), which provides national statistics, and the county-level data compiled by the Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research. In addition to the statistical tables, the volume includes a glossary explaining the different definitions used by the Census Bureau.
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2.

Population Information in Twentieth Century Census Volumes, 1950-1980 » Read Now
by Suzanne Schulze. 332 pgs.

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3.

Looking for the Last Percent: The Controversy over Census Undercounts » Read Now
by Harvey M. Choldin. 268 pgs.

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...1960s, I had been taught that the U.S. Census represented the standard of excellence...might not have predicted that the U.S. census would develop into an impartial...
4.

Sampling and the Census: A Case against the Proposed Adjustments for Undercount » Read Now
by Kenneth Darga. 143 pgs.

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In an attempt to address an inaccuracy at the national level, sampling would seriously undermine the reliability of census data at the state and local levels.
5.

Census and Identity: The Politics of Race, Ethnicity, and Language in National Census » Read Now
by Dominique Arel, David I. Kertzer. 210 pgs.

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This study examines the ways that states have attempted to pigeon-hole the people within their boundaries into racial, ethnic, and language categories. These attempts, whether through American efforts to divide the U.S. population into mutually exclusive racial categories, or through the Soviet...
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This study examines the ways that states have attempted to pigeon-hole the people within their boundaries into racial, ethnic, and language categories. These attempts, whether through American efforts to divide the U.S. population into mutually exclusive racial categories, or through the Soviet system of inscribing nationality categories on internal passports, have important implications not only for people's own identities and life chances, but for national political and social processes as well. The book reviews the history of these categorizing efforts by the state, offers a theoretical context for examining them, and illustrates the case with studies from a range of countries.
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6.

Reflections on Mapping Census 2000, in Cartography and Geographic Information Science » Read Now
by Cynthia A. Brewer. 23 pgs.

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7.

Results of the Census of 2000, in Social Education » Read Now
by Social Education. 5 pgs.

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...of the Census of 2000 The U.S. Census Bureau has released some of the major...ascertained by the Twenty-Second Decennial Census under Title 13, United States...U.S...
8.

American Diversity and the 2000 Census, in Public Interest » Read Now
by Nathan Glazer. 16 pgs.

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...presents to the public today. In the first census of 1790, required for purposes of apportionment...most enduring distinction in the U.S. census. In that first census...
9.

What Should We Call People? Race, Class, and the Census for 2000, in Phi Delta Kappan » Read Now
by Harold L. Hodgkinson. 6 pgs.

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...definition of race to be used in the U.S. Census for the year 2000 could be the most...check (choosing only one) on the U.S. Census form. The govenment does not...
10.

Counting the Counters: Effects of Census 2000 on Employment, in Monthly Labor Review » Read Now
by Laura A. Kelter. 6 pgs.

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...every 10 years, the U.S. Bureau of the Census undertakes the constitutionally mandated...depends upon the actual percentage of census forms returned by the U.S...
11.

The Census as a Call to Action, in Fordham Urban Law Journal » Read Now
by David J. Barron, Gerald E. Frug. 8 pgs.

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...for people to see how the current legal rules limit their choices about where and how to live, they need to interpret the census data the right way. And that requires...
12.

The 1930 Census, in Social Education » Read Now
by Lee Ann Potter. 5 pgs.

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...had successfully filled out a test census schedule. The test included a narrative...of the test was not the final 1930 census schedule. Thus, the purpose of the...Remind...