The Census of 1950 encompassed every state, Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, the Panama Canal Zone, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and other small American territories. For the first time, the U.S. Census Bureau enumerated Americans living abroad to account for members of the Armed Forces, vessel crew members, and government employees residing in foreign countries. The Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of State (DOS), the Maritime Administration (MARAD), and several other federal agencies were responsible for distributing and collecting census questionnaires in a cooperative effort. Persons living abroad for reasons other than what is listed above had their census information reported by families or neighbors residing in the United States, but such data was criticized as unreliable and were not published in official statistics.

The 1950 Census also included a new survey on residential financing collected separately on a sample basis from owners of owner-occupied properties, rental properties, and mortgage lenders. The accuracy of the new census was increased by improved enumerator training, the use of detailed street maps for enumerators, the publication of "Missed Person" forms in local newspapers, and the designation of a specific night to conduct a special enumeration of transient individuals. Moreover, a post-enumeration survey was conducted to further verify the accuracy of the original enumeration. A sample of approximately 3,500 small areas was compared to the original census data to identify households that may have been omitted initially. Likewise, a sample of approximately 22,000 households were re-interviewed to identify persons omitted in the original enumeration count. Though not used for the 1950 Census, the UNIVersal Automatic Computer I (UNIVAC I), the first non-military computer, was used to tabulate some of the statistics for the 1954 census of economy. In August of 1954, Congress codified various census statutes, such as the Fifteenth Census Act of 1929, authorizing the decennial census and other census.]]>
U.S. Census Bureau]]> U.S. Census Bureau, 1950.]]> U.S. Department of Commerce]]> U.S. Department of Defense]]> U.S. Department of State]]> U.S. Maritime Administration]]> U.S. Census Bureau, 1950.]]> U.S. Census Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> U.S. Census Bureau and published by the U.S. Department of Commerce.]]>
  • reproduce the work in print or digital form;
  • create derivative works;
  • perform the work publicly;
  • display the work;
  • distribute copies or digitally transfer the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending.
  • This resources is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only. For more information on copyright, please refer to Section 5 of Copyright Law of the United States of America and Related Laws Contained in Title 17 of the United States Code.]]>

    The Census of 1960 was the first to be mailed to respondents. The U.S. Post Office Department delivered census questionnaires to households, the head of household was required to complete the questionnaire, and an enumerator was to pick it up. The enumeration process was divided into two stages: first, select data for each person and dwelling unit was collected; and second, more detailed economic and social data was collected from a sample of households and dwelling units. The census questionnaires for the second stage were hand-delivered by enumerators as they were collecting data from the first stage. Households receiving the second census questionnaire were to complete the form and mail it to their local census office. Twenty-five percent of the population was giving additional sample questions. Because of the increased use of sampling, less populated areas were prone to sampling variation; however, this did not significantly decrease the usefulness of census statistics gathered. Moreover, increased use of sampling reduced data processing costs. Additional questions included in the 1960 Census were related to places of work and means of transportation to work. By 1960, nearly all census data was processed using computers. The U.S. Census Bureau used a Film Optical Sensing Device for Input to Computer (FOSDIC) for the first time, thus decreasing the amount of time and money required for data input.]]>
    U.S. Census Bureau]]> U.S. Census Bureau, 1960.]]> U.S. Department of Commerce]]> U.S. Census Bureau, 1960.]]> U.S. Census Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> U.S. Census Bureau and published by the U.S. Department of Commerce.]]>
  • reproduce the work in print or digital form;
  • create derivative works;
  • perform the work publicly;
  • display the work;
  • distribute copies or digitally transfer the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending.
  • This resources is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only. For more information on copyright, please refer to Section 5 of Copyright Law of the United States of America and Related Laws Contained in Title 17 of the United States Code.]]>

    In 1966, the U.S. Census Bureau sought suggestions from advisory committees and from the public, resulting in numerous proposals for additional inquiries related to the scope and structure of the census, as well as in public interest for the publication of additional census data. Researchers also concluded that the 1950 Census and the 1960 Census had undercounted certain segments of the population. Moreover, they noted a growing distrust of government activity and increased resistance to responding to the census. Simultaneously, both the public and private sectors expressed need for accurate information. The U.S. Census Bureau decreased its number of questions from 66 to 23 in an effort to simplify its products. A register for densely populated areas was also created to ensure that all housing units were accounted for. A Spanish-language questionnaire was also enclosed with census questionnaires in areas with a significant amount of Spanish-speaking households. Additionally, a question on Hispanic origins or descent was asked independently from race, but only on a five-percent sample. Only five questions were given to all individuals: relationship to household head, sex, race, age, and marital status. Additional questions were asked in smaller sample groups. This was also the first census in which respondents of urban areas were asked to mail their forms to the Census Bureau, rather than to hold questionnaires for enumerators.

    Address Coding Guides were used to assign census geographic codes to questionnaires. Counts, a series of computer tape files, was an additional innovation used to increase the accuracy of census data. Count 1 consisted of complete count data for block groups and/or enumeration districts. Count 2 contained census tracts and minor civil/census county divisions, while Count 3 consisted of census blocks. Counts 4-6 provided sample census data for geographic areas of various population sizes. The Census Bureau also produced six Public Use Microdata Sample files, each of which contained complete information for a sample of approximately two million people. Finally, the Census Bureau developed the Summary Tape Processing Center Program, which was a group of organizations, both public and private, that processed census data from computer tapes.]]>
    U.S. Census Bureau]]> U.S. Census Bureau, 1970.]]> U.S. Department of Commerce]]> U.S. Census Bureau, 1970.]]> U.S. Census Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> U.S. Census Bureau and published by the U.S. Department of Commerce.]]>
  • reproduce the work in print or digital form;
  • create derivative works;
  • perform the work publicly;
  • display the work;
  • distribute copies or digitally transfer the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending.
  • This resources is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only. For more information on copyright, please refer to Section 5 of Copyright Law of the United States of America and Related Laws Contained in Title 17 of the United States Code.]]>

    Due to the success of the 1970 Census' mail-out/mail-back questionnaire, the program was expanded for the Census of 1980 to include approximately 95 percent of the population. The short-form questionnaire for this census contained seven questions related to population and 11 questions related to housing; whereas the long-form questionnaire included 26 questions on population and 10 questions on housing. A question regarding Spanish or Hispanic origin, separate from race inquires, was used in all questionnaires due to its success in a five-percent sample for the 1970 Census. Two surveys were included in the new census: the Components of Inventory Change Survey, making inquiries regarding the number and characteristics of housing units that either changed or remained the same between 1973 and 1980; and the Residential Finance Survey, which collected information on mortgages, shelter costs, housing characteristics, and owner characteristics. The U.S. Census Bureau's Census Publicity Office, established in 1978, directed an extensive public service advertising campaign focusing on public awareness of the census and encouraging individuals to participate. A special effort was made to enumerate groups that have historically been undercounted in previous censuses: "M-Night" focused on counting individuals in homeless shelters, soup kitchens, bus and railway stations, and dormitories; "T-Night" focused on the enumeration of hotels and motels with permanent residents.

    The State Data Center Program was established to simplify public access to census data via computer tapes. The Census Bureau was to provide free copies of electronic and printed census information and products to each state; in return, the state agreed to develop a network of affiliated organizations, such as state executive departments, chambers of commerce, councils of government, university research departments, and libraries, by which census information would be housed for public access. All states had joined the program by the middle of the decade.

    Despite various technological and procedural advances, the U.S. Census undercounted the national population, as it typically did in previous censuses. The African-American population had an estimated net undercount rate that was 3.7 percentage points higher than the rate for all other races combined. Various cities and states, beginning with the City of Detroit, filed suit against the U.S. Census Bureau, demanding that statistical adjustment be used to compensate for census estimates that had been omitted or improperly counted. In the Fall of 1980, the Bureau announced that it would not adjust its population totals because it was unable to determine the number and distribution of illegal aliens and other undercounted groups. A federal district court ruled in favor of the City of New York and the State of New York that same year, ordering the Census Bureau to correct its numbers. The U.S. Supreme Court stayed this ruling, as well as other similar rulings, in December of 1980, which allowed the Bureau to report its figures to the President unadjusted. In 1987, a federal appeals court ruled that the census figures should not be adjusted because the Census Bureau's decision not to adjust the figures was not arbitrary nor capricious.]]>
    U.S. Census Bureau]]> U.S. Census Bureau, 1980.]]> U.S. Department of Commerce]]> U.S. Census Bureau, 1980.]]> U.S. Census Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> U.S. Census Bureau and published by the U.S. Department of Commerce.]]>
  • reproduce the work in print or digital form;
  • create derivative works;
  • perform the work publicly;
  • display the work;
  • distribute copies or digitally transfer the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending.
  • This resources is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only. For more information on copyright, please refer to Section 5 of Copyright Law of the United States of America and Related Laws Contained in Title 17 of the United States Code.]]>

    For the Census of 2000, the short form consisted of only seven questions, while the long form consisted of 52 questions and was used for a 17-percent sample of the population. For the first time, race questions were not limited to a single category; rather, respondents were able to check multiple boxes. A new question related to grandparents as caregivers was also mandated by legislation passed in 1996. Disability questions were expanded to including hearing and vision impairments, as well as learning, memory, and concentration disabilities. The 2000 Census also eliminated questions related to children born, water sources, sewage disposal, and condominium status. In addition, the 2000 Census was the first in which the Internet was used as the principal medium for the dissemination of census information. Summary Files were available for download immediately upon release and individual tables could be viewed via American FactFinder, the Census Bureau's online database. Files were also available for purchase on CD-Rom and DVD.

    Due to declining questionnaire mail-back rates, the U.S. Census Bureau marketed a $167 million national and local print, television, and public advertising campaign in 17 different languages. The campaign successfully brought the mail-back rate up to 67 percent. Additionally, respondents receiving the short form were given the option of responding via the Internet. Telephone questionnaire assistance centers available in six languages also took responses via the phone. Statistical sampling techniques were utilized in two ways: first, to alter the traditional 100-percent personal visit of non-responding households during the non-response follow-up (NRFU) process instead by following up on a smaller sample basis; second, the sampling of 750,000 housing units matched to housing unit questionnaires obtained from mail and telephone responses, as well as from personal visits. The goal of the latter was to develop adjustment factors for individuals estimated to have been missed or duplicated and to correct the census counts to produce one set of numbers. This "one-number census" would correct for net coverage errors called Integrated Coverage Measurement (ICM). Both of these measures were taken in an attempt to avoid repetition of the litigation costs generated by the 1980 Census and the 1990 Census.

    Despite these efforts, two lawsuits—one filed by the U.S. House of Representatives—were filed in February 1998 challenging the constitutionality and legality of the planned uses of sampling to produce apportionment counts. Both cases were decided in favor of the plaintiffs in federal district courts, but the U.S. Department of Commerce made appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court. Known as the  U.S. Department of Commerce v. the U.S. House of Representatives, the Court ruled that the Census Bureau's plans to use statistical sampling for purposes of congressional apportionments violated the Census Act. The bureau revised its plan, stating that it would produce statistically adjusted data for non-apportionment uses of census data information, such as redistricting. However, in March of 2001, the Census Bureau recommended against the use of adjusted census data for redistricting due to accuracy concerns; the Secretary of Commerce determined that the unadjusted data would be released as the bureau's official redistricting data. The Director of the Census Bureau also rejected to the use of adjusted data for non-redistricting purposes in October of that same year.]]>
    U.S. Census Bureau]]> U.S. Census Bureau, 2000.]]> U.S. Department of Commerce]]> U.S. Census Bureau, 2000.]]> U.S. Census Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> U.S. Census Bureau and published by the U.S. Department of Commerce.]]>
  • reproduce the work in print or digital form
  • create derivative works
  • perform the work publicly
  • display the work
  • distribute copies or digitally transfer the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending.
  • This resources is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only. For more information on copyright, please refer to Section 5 of Copyright Law of the United States of America and Related Laws Contained in Title 17 of the United States Code.]]>