Encyclopedia of the U.S. Census

The Encyclopedia of the U.S. Census, Second Edition updates and expands a resource to the history, politics, content, procedures, and uses of the decennial census of the American population. The new edition highlights changes in the Census Bureau's data collection and dissemination practices for the 2010 enumeration, including the use of a short-form questionnaire for the actual population count, and the release in late 2010 of the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year data set based on rolling samples of the U.S. population and gathered using the long-form questionnaire. The second edition also comprehensively covers the fallout from the 2000 census and recent issues affecting the administration of the 2010 count. --from publisher description.

This encyclopedia examines the history and current status of the U.S. Census. The U.S. Census is the procedure done every ten years -- mandated by the U.S. Constitution -- of systematically acquiring and recording information about the people of the U.S.; the results are used to allocate Congressional seats, electoral votes, and government program funding, among many other things.