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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | July 1, 1902 |
| Preceding agency |
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| Headquarters | Suitland, Maryland, U.S. |
| Employees | 4,285 (2018) |
| Annual budget | US$1.5 billion (2017) US$1.5 billion (2018) US$3.8 billion (est. 2019) |
| Agency executives |
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| Parent agency | Department of Commerce |
| Website | www |
The United States Census Bureau (USCB; officially the Bureau of the Census, as defined in Title ) is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce and its director is appointed by the President of the United States.
The Census Bureau's primary mission is conducting the U.S. Census every ten years, which allocates the seats of the U.S. House of Representatives to the states based on their population. The Bureau's various censuses and surveys help allocate over $675 billion in federal funds every year and it helps states, local communities, and businesses make informed decisions. The information provided by the census informs decisions on where to build and maintain schools, hospitals, transportation infrastructure, and police and fire departments.
In addition to the decennial census, the Census Bureau continually conducts over 130 surveys and programs a year,[5] including the American Community Survey, the U.S. Economic Census, and the Current Population Survey.[1] Furthermore, economic and foreign trade indicators released by the federal government typically contain data produced by the Census Bureau.
Legal mandate
Census headquarters in Suitland, Maryland
Article One of the United States Constitution (section II) directs the population be enumerated at least once every ten years and the resulting counts used to set the number of members from each state in the House of Representatives and, by extension, in the Electoral College. The Census Bureau now conducts a full population count every 10 years in years ending with a zero and uses the term "decennial" to describe the operation. Between censuses, the Census Bureau makes population estimates and projections.
In addition, Census data directly affects how more than $400
billion per year in federal and state funding is allocated to
communities for neighborhood improvements, public health, education, transportation and more.
The Census Bureau is mandated with fulfilling these obligations: the
collecting of statistics about the nation, its people, and economy. The
Census Bureau's legal authority is codified in Title 13 of the United States Code.
The Census Bureau also conducts surveys on behalf of various federal government and local government agencies on topics such as employment, crime, health, consumer expenditures,
and housing. Within the bureau, these are known as "demographic
surveys" and are conducted perpetually between and during decennial
(10-year) population counts. The Census Bureau also conducts economic
surveys of manufacturing, retail, service, and other establishments and
of domestic governments.
Between 1790 and 1840, the census was taken by marshals of the judicial districts. The Census Act of 1840 established a central office
which became known as the Census Office. Several acts followed that
revised and authorized new censuses, typically at the 10-year intervals.
In 1902, the temporary Census Office was moved under the Department of Interior, and in 1903 it was renamed the Census Bureau under the new Department of Commerce and Labor.
The department was intended to consolidate overlapping statistical
agencies, but Census Bureau officials were hindered by their subordinate
role in the department.
An act in 1920 changed the date and authorized manufacturing censuses every two years and agriculture censuses every 10 years. In 1929, a bill was passed mandating the House of Representatives be reapportioned based on the results of the 1930 Census. In 1954, various acts were codified into Title 13 of the US Code.
By law, the Census Bureau must count everyone and submit state
population totals to the U.S. President by December 31 of any year
ending in a zero. States within the Union receive the results in the
spring of the following year.
Data collection
U.S. Census Bureau Regions and Divisions
Census regions and divisions
The United States Census Bureau defines four statistical regions, with nine divisions. The Census Bureau regions are "widely used...for data collection and analysis". The Census Bureau definition is pervasive.
Regional divisions used by the United States Census Bureau:
- Region 1: Northeast
- Division 1: New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont)
- Division 2: Mid-Atlantic (New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania)
- Region 2: Midwest (Prior to June 1984, the Midwest Region was designated as the North Central Region.)
- Division 3: East North Central (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin)
- Division 4: West North Central (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota)
- Region 3: South
- Division 5: South Atlantic (Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington D.C., and West Virginia)
- Division 6: East South Central (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee)
- Division 7: West South Central (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas)
- Region 4: West
- Division 8: Mountain (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming)
- Division 9: Pacific (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington)
Uses of census data
Many federal, state, local and tribal governments use census data to:
- Decide the location of new housing and public facilities,
- Examine the demographic characteristics of communities, states, and the US,
- Plan transportation systems and roadways,
- Determine quotas and creation of police and fire precincts, and
- Create localized areas for elections, schools, utilities, etc.
- Gathers population information every 10 years
In the first quarter of 2020 the website census.gov was one of the most popular and reliable sources in Wikipedia.
Data stewardship
The
United States Census Bureau is committed to confidentiality, and
guarantees non-disclosure of any addresses or personal information
related to individuals or establishments. Title 13 of the U.S. Code establishes penalties for the disclosure of this information. All Census employees must sign an affidavit of non-disclosure prior to employment.
The Bureau cannot share responses, addresses or personal
information with anyone including United States or foreign government
and law enforcement agencies such as the IRS or the FBI or Interpol.
"Providing quality data, for public good—while respecting individual
privacy and, at the same time, protecting confidentiality—is the Census
Bureau's core responsibility"; "Keeping the public's trust is critical
to the Census's ability to carry out the mission as the leading source
of quality data about the Nation's people and economy." Only after 72 years does the information collected become available to other agencies or the general public. Seventy-two years was picked because usually by 72 years since the census is taken, most participants would be deceased.
Despite these guarantees of confidentiality, the Census Bureau
has some history of disclosures to other government agencies. In 1918,
the Census Bureau released individual information regarding several
hundred young men to the Justice Department and Selective Service system for the purpose of prosecutions for draft evasion. During World War II, the United States Census Bureau assisted the government's Japanese American internment efforts by providing confidential neighborhood information on Japanese-Americans. The Bureau's role was denied for decades but was finally proven in 2007.
United States census data are valuable for the country's political parties; Democrats and Republicans are highly interested in knowing the accurate number of persons in their respective districts.
These insights are often linked to financial and economic strategies
that are central to federal, state and city investments for locations of
particular populations.
Such apportionments are designed to distribute political power across
neutral spatial allocations; however, "because so much is at stake, the
census also runs the risk of being politicized."
Such political tensions highlight the complexity of identity and classification; some argue that unclear results from the population data "is due to distortions brought about by political pressures."
One frequently used example includes ambiguous ethnic counts, which
often involves underenumeration and/or undercounting of minority
populations.
Ideas about race, ethnicity and identity have also evolved in the
United States, and such changes warrant examination of how these shifts
have impacted the accuracy of census data over time.
The United States Census Bureau began pursuing technological
innovations to improve the precision of its census data collection in
the 1980s. Robert W. Marx, the Chief of the Geography Division of the
USCB teamed up with the US Geological Survey and oversaw the creation of the Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) database system.
Census officials were able to evaluate the more sophisticated and
detailed results that the TIGER system produced; furthermore, TIGER data
is also available to the public. And while the TIGER system does not
directly amass demographic data, as a geographic information system (GIS), it can be used to merge demographics to conduct more accurate geospatial and mapping analysis.
In July 2019 the Census Bureau deprecated American Fact Finder for the new platform data.census.gov, providing support for data users accessing the new site.
Ongoing surveys
A survey is a method of collecting and analyzing social, economic, and geographic data.
It provides information about the conditions of the United States,
states, and counties. Throughout the decade between censuses, the bureau
conducts surveys to produce a general view and comprehensive study of
the United States' social and economic conditions.
Staff from the Current Surveys Program conduct over 130 ongoing and special surveys about people and their characteristics.
A network of professional field representatives gathers information
from a sample of households, responding to questions about employment,
consumer expenditures, health, housing, and other topics.
Surveys conducted between decades:
- American Community Survey
- American Housing Survey
- Consumer Expenditure Survey
- Census of Governments
- Current Population Survey
- Economic Census
- National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS)
- National Health Interview Survey
- National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS, 1965–2010)
- National Hospital Care Survey (NHCS) – a new survey that integrates inpatient data formerly collected by the NHDS with the emergency department (ED), outpatient department (OPD), and ambulatory surgery center (ASC) data collected by the
- National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS)
- National Crime Victimization Survey
- National Nursing Home Survey
- Survey of Income and Program Participation
- Survey of Construction
- Survey of Market Absorption
- Survey of Program Dynamics
- National Longitudinal Survey
- National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, & Wildlife-Associated Recreation
- Residential Finance Survey
- National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol Related Conditions (NESARC)
- Annual Retail Trade Survey
- Annual Wholesale Trade Survey
- Annual and Quarterly Services Surveys
Other surveys conducted
The
Census Bureau collects information in many other surveys and provides
the data to the survey sponsor for release. These sponsors include:
- Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
- Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
- Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
- Social Security Administration (SSA)
Organizational structure
U.S. Census Bureau Regional Office Boundaries
Since 1903, the official census-taking agency of the United States
government has been the Bureau of the Census. The Census Bureau is
headed by a Director, assisted by a Deputy Director and an Executive
Staff composed of the associate directors.
The Census Bureau has had headquarters in Suitland, Maryland, since 1942. A new headquarters complex there was completed in 2007 and supports over 4,000 employees. The Bureau operates regional offices in 6 cities: New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, and Los Angeles. The National Processing Center is in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
Additional temporary processing facilities facilitate the decennial
census, which employs more than a million people. The cost of the 2000
Census was $4.5 billion. During the years just prior to the decennial
census, parallel census offices, known as "Regional Census Centers" are
opened in the field office cities. The decennial operations are carried
out from these facilities. The Regional Census Centers oversee the
openings and closings of smaller "Area Census Offices" within their
collection jurisdictions. The estimated cost of the 2010 Census is $14.7
billion.
On January 1, 2013, the Census Bureau was to consolidate its 12
regional offices into 6. Increasing costs of data collection, changes in
survey management tools such as laptops and the increasing use of
multi-modal surveys (i.e. internet, telephone, and in-person) has led
the Census Bureau to consolidate. The remaining regional offices will be in: New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, and Los Angeles.
The Census Bureau also runs the Census Information Center
cooperative program that involves 58 "national, regional, and local
non-profit organizations". The CIC program aims to represent the
interests of underserved communities.
Computer equipment
Census Bureau employees tabulate data using one of the agency’s UNIVAC computers, ca. 1960.
The 1890 census was the first to use the electric tabulating machines invented by Herman Hollerith. For 1890–1940 details, see Truesdell, Leon E. (1965). The Development of Punch Card Tabulation in the Bureau of the Census, 1890–1940: With outlines of actual tabulation programs. US GPO. In 1946, knowing of the Bureau's funding of Hollerith and, later, Powers, John Mauchly approached the Bureau about early funding for UNIVAC development. A UNIVAC I computer was accepted by the Bureau in 1951.
Handheld computers (HHC)
Historically,
the census information was gathered by census takers going door-to-door
collecting information in a ledger. Beginning in 1970 information was
gathered via mailed forms. To reduce paper usage, reduce payroll expense
and acquire the most comprehensive list of addresses ever compiled,
500,000 handheld computers (HHCs) (specifically designed, single purpose
devices) were used for the first time in 2009 during the address
canvassing portion of the 2010 Decennial Census Project. Projected
savings were estimated to be over $1 billion.
Security precautions
The HHC was manufactured by Harris Corporation, an established Department of Defense contractor, via a controversial contract with the Department of Commerce. Secured access via a fingerprint swipe guaranteed only the verified user could access the unit. A GPS
capacity was integral to the daily address management and the transfer
of gathered information. Of major importance was the security and
integrity of the populace's private information.
Success and failure
Enumerators
(information gatherers) that had operational problems with the device
understandably made negative reports. During the 2009 Senate
confirmation hearings for Robert Groves, President Obama's Census Director appointee, there was much mention of problems but very little criticism of the units.
In rural areas, the sparsity of cell phone towers caused problems with
data transmission to and from the HHC. Since the units were updated
nightly with important changes and updates, operator implementation of
proper procedure was imperative. Dramatic dysfunction and delays
occurred if the units were not put into sleep mode overnight.
