Superintendent of the Census Francis A. Walker sent his first report to the secretary of the interior in 1871. These reports continued to be produced sporadically by the head of the census until the turn of the century, at which point they were made annually. In this section, you'll find a selection of these reports.

For additional executive and annual reports, visit the Hathi Trust Digital Library.

From the nineteenth century until the Census Bureau was moved to the newly created Department of Commerce and Labor in 1903, the census was conducted under the ultimate authority of the secretary of the interior. Although the secretary usually played a very small part in census enumeration and processing, he issued a regular report on Census Office operations from the head of the census.

One year after it became a permanent agency, the Census Bureau left the Department of the Interior and joined the newly-created Department of Commerce and Labor. From 1903 until 1912, the director of the Census Bureau made his annual reports to the secretary of commerce and labor.

In 1913, the Department of Commerce and Labor split into halves. The Census Bureau stayed a part of the Department of Commerce. Commerce remains the Census Bureau's parent department today. From 1913 onward, the director of the Census Bureau has made reports to the secretary of commerce.