About Us

About What We Do

• Our Mission

  - To serve as the leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy. Full Mission Statement »

• Our Authority

  - The United States Census Bureau operates under Title 13 and Title 26, of the U.S. Code

• Our Goal

  - To provide the best mix of timeliness, relevancy, quality, and cost for the data we collect and services we provide

• Careers

  - The Jobs@Census site provides prospective employees information on positions available at the Census Bureau.

• What Data We Collect & When

  • Population & Housing Census - every 10 years
  • Economic Census - every 5 years
  • Census of Governments - every 5 years
  • American Community Survey - annually
  • Our many surveys -- both Demographic & Economic
  • Economic Indicators - each indicator is released on a specific schedule, see the Economic Indicator Calendar

• How Our Data are Used

  • to determine the distribution of Congressional seats to states--
    • mandated by the U.S. Constitution
    • used to apportion seats in the U.S. House of Representatives
    • used to define legislature districts, school district assignment areas and other important functional areas of government

    Find out about the 2010 Census Redistricting Data Program.

  • to make decisions about what community services to provide

    Changes in your community are crucial to many planning decisions, such as where to:

    • provide services for the elderly
    • where to build new roads and schools
    • or where to locate job training centers
  • to distribute more than $400 billion in federal funds to local, state and tribal governments each year

    Census data affects how funding is allocated to communities for:

    • neighborhood improvements
    • public health
    • education
    • transportation
    • and much more
  • to provide Age Search information for:
    • Qualifying for Social Security and other retirement benefits
    • Passport applications
    • Proving relationship in settling estates
    • Researching family history or a historical topic

• Other Activities

  • Census Event & Training Calendar
  • Customer Information
  • Respond to Requests
  • Fellowship Programs
  • International Programs
  • Research Opportunities at the Census Bureau [PDF 531k]