07/20/2020
Check out the link below to learn more about the history of the U.S. Census Bureau and then go be Counted! My2020Census.gov
On March 6, the U.S. Census Bureau celebrates its 115th anniversary as a permanent agency. 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.
Learn more about the Census Bureau’s history at https://go.usa.gov/xfDx8.
