Measuring America - Why We Ask

The American Community Survey (ACS) asks questions about our lives—how old we are, how much we earn, whether we work or go to school, and more.

An American Community

The ACS enables communities to appropriately fund school-lunch, place new hospitals, build businesses and take other actions that lead to healthy communities.

A Child's Day

This visualization provides a look at children's participation in extracurricular activities and various interactions in their lives.

HELLO my name is...

Learn about the top 15 most popular last names in the U.S. by rank and discuss different trends and changes with your students.

National Pet Day

Have your students explore data on the number of animal-related establishments, the amount of paid employees, annual payroll, and more.

Population Bracketology

Test your knowledge of population data!

Following the Frontier Line, 1790 to 1890

This data visualization highlights population expansion into new territory, subsequent gains in population density, and increasing urbanization.

Visualization

Increasing Urbanization Population Distribution

This data visualization reveals how the number and size of cities has increased between 1790 and 1890

Visualization

The Great Migration, 1910 to 1970

The Great Migration generally refers to the massive internal migration of Blacks from the South to urban centers in other parts of the country.

Before and After 1940: Change in Population Density

This interactive data visualization includes three maps.

Islands of High Income

Median household income varies by county across the United States.

Gaining and Losing Shares

This data visualization shows population distribution by region between 1790 and 2010.

1-90 Population Density Profile 2010

Passing through some of the most sparsely populated territory in the country, I-90 connects Seattle, Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo, and Boston.

I-95 Population Density Profile, 2010

Running from Florida to Maine, I-95 passes through 15 states and several major cities.

I-5 Population Density Profile

Of the major interstates in the country, I-5 passes through the second-largest population (behind only I-95 on the nation's east coast).

Blooming States

This interactive data visualization shows the state-by-state population growth measured by the decennial censuses from 1790 to 2010.

Population Shift to the West and South

Each bar represents the percentage of the population living within 2 degrees of longitude.

Visualization

Internal Migration in The U.S. - Exploring the Census Flows Mapper

This interactive map allows you to explore how internal migration connects with domestic policy issues/debates in the presence.

Work Life Earnings

Synthetic Work-Life Earnings by Field of Bachelor’s Degree and Occupation for Full-Time, Year-Round Workers Whose Highest Attainment is a Bachelor’s Degree.

Visualization

Without a High School Education

This data visualization uses 2011 American Community Survey data to explore the variation in high school education attainment.

A Decade of State Population Change

This data visualization takes a detailed look at annual percentage change in state population over the last decade and shows variation in growth patterns.

Center of Population, 1790-2010

The mean center of population is the place where an imaginary, flat, weightless, and rigid map of the United States.

Physical to Political Geography

Early in the country’s history, descriptions of population distribution across the landscape were tied closely to physical features.

Migration Between California & Other States

This graphic shows the 10 largest state-to-state migration flows in and out of California for the period 1955-1960 compared to that of 1995-2000.

America’s Changing Labor Force

This infographic focuses on the civilian labor force and what we can learn from the Equal Employment Opportunity tabulations over the past five decades.

America’s Foreign Born in the Last 50 Years

Today’s foreign-born population makes up about one in eight U.S. residents, mostly immigrants from Latin America and Asia who have settled in the West and South

World War II: 70 Years On

To commemorate this milestone anniversary of the Victory in Europe and Victory Over Japan Day, the Census Bureau presents a wide range of statistics of WWII.

A Snapshot of Our Nation’s Veterans

Federal, state and community organizations use information about the veteran population from the ACS and the Economic Census to help serve their needs.

Child Care

In this infographic, data taken from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) help us understand child care usage among families.

Home Based Workers

Communication and information technology advances allow for a mobile workforce. This infographic summarizes what the data tells us about who’s working at home.

How Do We Know?

This infographic details how the questions have evolved over time to address our changing needs.

Inside America’s Economic Machine

The US has the world’s largest economy. This infographic summarizes a few of the latest economic statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau using graphs and images.

Manufacturing Day

This infographic summarizes the results of several surveys and programs related to manufacturing and business patterns.

Memorial Day

This infographic compiles statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Defense to honor our men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The Educational Path of Our Nation

This infographic looks at important education-related questions using information from the American Community and other Census Bureau surveys.

Home Improvements

This infographic visually summarizes the results of the 2011 American Housing Survey in an accessible format.