The year 2000 marked the twenty-second Decennial Census of Population and Housing. The first census enumeration in the United States was conducted in 1790 under the authority of Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. During this first census, only six questions were asked:

• The name of the head of the household
• The number of free white males 16 years of age and older
• The number of free white males under 16 years of age
• The number of free white females
• The number of other free persons in the household
• The number of slaves in the household

The next five censuses remained relatively unchanged in both the scope of the questions and the manner in which the data was collected. A printed census form was introduced in 1830 and by 1840 the government was conducting a census of agricultural and mineral industries in addition to the fundamental counting of the population. By 1860, six separate census questionnaires covered 142 different questions including population, health, mortality, literacy, occupation, income, agriculture, manufacturing, mining, fishing, commerce, banking, insurance, transportation, schools, libraries, newspapers, crimes, taxes, and religion.

The complexity of the data collected through the Census and its importance to the functioning of the government has steadily increased. Today, additional information is gathered on racial and ethnic origin of respondents, national energy usage, and additional statistical information about geographic areas. The Census provides the guide by which seats in the House of Representatives are apportioned. Legislative and district boundaries are also drawn based on these results. Examination of population age structures provides local planners insight to a community's short-term and long-term needs that include the types of schools to build, the extent of needs for senior citizen housing, highway construction, and other issues.

Response to the Census is required by law under Title 13 of the United States Code. The data collected is considered strictly confidential and is to be used for statistical purposes only.

By law, the Census Bureau is required to report the state population count to the President by January 1 of the year following the census. According to that report, the 2000 Census yielded a count of 281,421,906 people living within the borders of the United States. This reflects an increase of 13.1 percent over the nation's last official count in 1990.

The following exercises will provide the student a glimpse of how America's population has changed over the years, both in the recent past and since the Census was first taken in 1790. Various websites are suggested that will serve as the references for these exercises.

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