William Rush Merriam was director of of the U.S. Census Bureau
when it became a permanent agency in 1902.
On March 6, 1902, the U.S. Census Bureau became a permanent agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior. Prior to 1902, U.S. Marshals or enumerators conducted the census and a temporary census office tabulated the data. By the late 19th century, the growing volume of data and possible tabulations—thanks to Herman Hollerith's electronic tabulating machine—made retention of skilled census clerks and supervisors a necessity. In response to the recommendations of census officials, statisticians, and academicians, the U.S. Congress passed the Act of March 6, 1902, Providing for the Establishment of a Permanent Census Office
Under the leadership of William Rush Merriam, the act directed that in addition to the decennial population census, the agency would also conduct a census of manufactures in 1905 and every 5 years thereafter; an annual survey of cotton production; and other economic surveys. The permanent agency—initially within the U.S. Department of the Interior—officially "opened its doors" at the Emery Building, located at the corner of 1st and B Streets, NW Washington, DC—on July 1, 1902. Following its establishment by President Theodore Roosevelt, the Census Bureau moved to the U.S. Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903. It remained in the Department of Commerce after the agency split into two on March 4, 1913.
Today, the Census Bureau is an international authority on the collection, tabulation, and publication of statistical data. It leads the world in the fields of demographic, economic, and statistical research. Browse this Web site to learn more about the Census Bureau's history, its employees, and the agency's remarkable record of invention and innovation. For example:
Employees of the U.S. Census Bureau pose in front of the Emery Building located at the corner of 1st and B Streets, NW, Washington, DC.
This was the Census Bureau's headquarters during the 1900 and 1910 Censuses.
Inventor of the telephone Alexander Graham Bell was born on March 3, 1847.
Bell's research into hearing and speech and interest in developing the telephone grew out of his work with the hearing impaired.
During the 1900 Census, the Census Bureau hired him as a special agent to write a report on the deaf and blind.
The 1900 Census found that the population of the United States was 76,212,168. You can learn more about Bell's work as a special agent for the 1900 Census here.
Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Congress legislated the permanent Census Bureau in 1902, but the agency's official seal was authorized on March 3, 1899, when it was part of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The seal contains a shield upon which are an open book and the lamp of knowledge emitting rays above two crossed quills. A wreath of single leaves surrounds the shield. Stars in an outer band separate the words "U.S. Department of Commerce" and "Bureau of the Census."
The seal is used on all certificates and attestations required from the Census Bureau.
During the 1990 Census, a printing error instructed Spanish-speaking callers in need of assistance completing their questionnaires to call an auto parts store in Kansas.
The Census Bureau provided the store with a Spanish-speaking operator who redirected the calls until the error could be corrected.