Census: Census Websites

Provides access to Data by Sector: Economy-Wide; Construction; Governments; International Trade; Manufacturing; Retail Trade; Services; Wholesale Trade; Other Sectors. Also provides access to data by Special Topics: Business Dynamics; Business Expenses; Concentration; E-Commerce; Economic Studies; Historical Data; North American Industry Classification System (NAICS); North American Product Classification System (NAPCS); Small Business; Women/Minorites.

The Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy. We honor privacy, protect confidentiality, share our expertise globally, and conduct our work openly. We are guided on this mission by our strong and capable workforce, our readiness to innovate, and our abiding commitment to our customers.

The Census Bureau is working to increase our use of visualization in making data available to the public, and this gallery is an early part of that effort. The first posted visualizations will pertain largely to historical population data, building on prior work done to portray historical changes in the growth and redistribution of the U.S. population. For later visualizations, the topics will expand beyond decennial census data to include the full breadth of Census Bureau data sets and subject areas, from household and family dynamics, to migration and geographic mobility, to economic indicators.

The U.S. census counts each resident of the country, where they live on April 1, every ten years ending in zero. The Constitution mandates the enumeration to determine how to apportion the House of Representatives among the states.

The U.S. Census Bureau conducts an economic census every 5 years, as mandated by Title 13, U.S. Code. In late 2012, nearly 5 million businesses will receive 2012 Economic Census forms. All large and mid-size businesses will receive forms as well as a sample of the smallest establishments. Businesses will have the option to report on paper or electronically. Forms will be due back February 12, 2013. Business response is required by law. Data are published for more than 1,000 industries, 15,000 products, every state, 3,200 counties, 10,000 cities and towns, and the Island Areas.

Educational attainment refers to the highest level of education that an individual has completed. This is distinct from the level of schooling that an individual is attending.

The U.S. Census Bureau conducts a Census of Governments of all state and local government organization units every 5 years, for years ending in 2 and 7, as required by law under Title 13, U.S. Code, Section 161. The collection of these data (A) Identifies the scope and nature of the nation's state and local governments. (B) Classifies local government organizations, powers, and activities. (C) Provides authoritative benchmark data on public finance and public employment. (D) Measures state and local governments' fiscal relationships.

Part of the Census Bureau Business and Industry resources. The Advance Monthly and Monthly Retail Trade Surveys (MARTS and MRTS), the Annual Retail Trade Survey (ARTS), and the Quarterly E-Commerce Report work together to produce the most comprehensive data available on retail economic activity in the United States.

Information on reported voting and registration by various demographic and socioeconomic characteristics is collected for the nation in November of Congressional and Presidential election years in the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey of about 50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The CPS is the primary source of information on the labor force characteristics of the U.S. population. The voting supplement does not provide estimates of partisianship, such as what candidate a voter supported or what political party a voter aligned themselves with.

"Census Reporter is a Knight News Challenge-funded project to make it easier for journalists to write stories using information from the U.S. Census bureau. Place profiles and comparison pages provide a friendly interface for navigating data, including visualizations for a more useful first look." The American Community Survey (ACS) is the Census Reporter's data source.

"From data layers to Reports to Uploading and Downloading Data to Widgets, PolicyMap offers many ways to interact with data."

"SimplyAnalytics is a web-based mapping application that lets users quickly create professional-quality thematic maps and reports using demographic, census, business, and marketing data for the United States."

"Social Explorer is an online research tool designed to provide quick and easy access to current and historical census data and demographic information. The interface lets users create maps and reports to better illustrate, analyze and understand demography and social change..."