Description: The U.S. Census counts every resident in the United States. It is mandated by Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution and takes place every 10 years. The data collected by the decennial census determines the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives and is also used to distribute billions in Federal funds to local communities.

Population: Nationally representative sample is surveyed (as of 2010 using short-form version of survey) and actual counts of persons dwelling in residential structures are used to derive population numbers. Estimates and statistical models are then based off of additional surveys administered. 2010 resident population is 308,745,538.

Periodicity: Data collected every 10 years. Data available for 1790-2010 (next survey date is 2020).

(Information adapted from the publisher)

For more information, please see the Compendium of Family-Self Sufficiency Databases.