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Resource Library
230 Years and Counting
230 Years and Counting
Milestone
1790 Census
This was the first United States census.
2020 Census
This is the first census with the option for households in the U.S. to respond online, by phone, or by mail.
Area Counted
1790 Census
The original 13 states; the districts of Kentucky, Maine, and Vermont; and the Southwest Territory (Tennessee).
2020 Census
The 2020 Census counts everyone living in the United States and its five territories (Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands).
Conducting the Count
1790 Census
By horseback and on foot, approximately 650 U.S. marshals and assistants recorded answers on forms made of parchment and animal skins.
2020 Census
Households can now respond online, by phone, or by mail. Hundreds of thousands of temporary census takers will use smartphones to follow up with households that don't respond.
Leading the Effort
1790 Census
Thomas Jefferson,
Secretary of State.
2020 Census
Steven Dillingham,
Census Bureau Director.
Census Day
1790 Census
August 2, 1790.
2020 Census
April 1, 2020.
Representatives in Congress
1790 Census
This number would increase to 105 based on the results of the 1790 Census.
2020 Census
The total number of representatives was set by the Apportionment Act of 1929; the current Congress includes record numbers of women and minority representatives.
Tunes of the Times
1790 Census
The country's first singing contest was held between choirs from Dorchester and Stoughton, Massachusetts.
2020 Census
Alicia Keys hosted the 62nd annual Grammy Awards in January.
Did You Know?
1790 Census
109,826. That was the combined population of the country's five largest cities: New York City (33,131 people); Philadelphia (28,522); Boston (18,320); Charleston, South Carolina (16,359); and Baltimore (13,503).
2020 Census
107,601. That is the attendance capacity at the largest college football stadium in the United States—Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
U.S. Population
1790 Census
3,929,214.
2020 Census
Coming soon!
Page Last Revised - August 31, 2022
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