Census Bureau Innovations FAQs

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Census Bureau Innovations FAQs

The demands placed on the U.S. Census Bureau to collect, process, and tabulate data on the nation's population and economy create an environment that fosters innovation. Herman Hollerith's electronic tabulator in 1890, the installation of UNIVAC I, the first commercial computer built for civilian use in 1951, and optical character recognition software that read 2010 census questionnaires are examples of the innovative technology employed by the agency to improve its data collection and processing operations.

These questions are a few of those frequently asked about the history of the Census Bureau's technological achievements and innovations.

A contract for UNIVAC I was signed on March 31, 1951, and a dedication ceremony for the new computer was held in June of that year.

UNIVAC I

The Census Bureau continued to use updated versions of Herman Hollerith's 1890 electric counting machine through the 1940 census.

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Computers replaced punch cards at the Census Bureau as computers and magnetic computer tape were introduced in the 1950s. Today, the agency uses optical character and optical mark recognition software to process census and survey questionnaires. For more information, visit the Tabulation and Processing web page.

Tabulation and Processing

The census had become so extensive that Census Office clerks could no longer effectively tabulate results by expensive and inaccurate hand counting.

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Herman Hollerith worked for the Census Bureau during the 1880 census and then for the 1890 census, invented the electronic tabulators and punchcards that the Census Bureau used from 1890 until the 1950s. Hollerith left the Census Bureau to start the Tabulating Maching Company, which would eventually become International Business Machines (IBM).

Notable Alumni Herman Hollerith

Herman Hollerith invented the electric tabulating machine.

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To aid in collecting data during the 1990 census, the Census Bureau developed the "Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing" (TIGER) system. Using the U.S. Geological Survey's maps, TIGER added additional information (roads, rivers, railroads, etc.) to create maps that are the basis for the global positioning systems many drivers have on the dashboards of their automobiles.

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The Census Bureau first used statistical sampling methods during the 1937 test survey of unemployment (Enumerative Check Census). This survey estimated the scope of unemployment in the United States during the Great Depression and served as a "check" on a more inclusive, voluntary census effort attempting to measure the nation's unemployment rate.

Developing Sampling Techniques

The Census Bureau first used statistical sampling methods in the 1937 test survey of unemployment.

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