United States Census of 2010

United States Census of 2010
Name	2010 United States Census
Country	United States
Date	April 1, 2010
Population	308,745,538
Percent change	9.7%
Regions	50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Island Areas

Contents

United States Census of 2010 The 2010 enumerative operation was the decennial population count mandated by the Constitution for apportionment and federal activities. Conducted by the United States Census Bureau, the count followed precedents set by the Constitution and earlier enumerations such as the 1790 United States Census and the 2000 United States Census. The 2010 effort involved coordination with entities including the Department of Commerce, the Office of Management and Budget, the National Academy of Sciences, and state-level offices like the California Department of Finance and the New York State Department of Health.

Background and Preparations

Preparations drew on post-2000 reforms influenced by reviews from the National Research Council and recommendations tied to cases like Franklin v. Massachusetts and policy guidance from the Homeland Security Act of 2002 planners. Planning phases involved partnerships with the Social Security Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, and the United States Postal Service to verify addresses and outreach lists. Major logistics used contractors including Lockheed Martin and technology vendors advising on systems tested in demonstrations in jurisdictions such as Maricopa County, Arizona and King County, Washington. Political actors from the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives debated funding levels while advocacy groups such as the League of United Latin American Citizens, the National Urban League, and the American Civil Liberties Union engaged in outreach planning.

Data collection combined short-form questionnaires mailed to households with nonresponse follow-up by enumerators drawn from the United States Postal Service delivery sequence. The design utilized address canvassing informed by the Master Address File and the Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing system. Enumerators received training materials coordinated with the International Association of Chiefs of Police for safety and with community groups like the National Council of La Raza for language access. The operation implemented operational systems developed with vendors experienced from programs like the Decennial Census 2000 and leveraged geographic frameworks used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Environmental Protection Agency for mapping. Language assistance complied with provisions related to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and partnerships included the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization-inspired best practices for minority outreach. Quality assurance used techniques recommended by the American Statistical Association and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The final count reported 308,745,538 residents, reflecting growth patterns influenced by migration trends documented by the Department of Homeland Security and economic shifts observed after the 2008 United States financial crisis. States with notable gains included Texas and Florida, while states such as Michigan and New York showed slower growth or losses. Urban centers like Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, and Philadelphia exhibited varied growth tied to housing and labor markets monitored by the Federal Reserve Board. Data showed changes in age distributions affecting programs overseen by the Social Security Administration and health data relevant to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The racial and ethnic tabulations intersected with classifications used in litigation such as Shelby County v. Holder-related discourse and informed analyses by entities like the Pew Research Center and the Brookings Institution.

Apportionment of the House of Representatives seats used the census counts to allocate 435 seats under the method of equal proportions, affecting delegations in states including Texas, which gained seats, and New York and Ohio, which lost seats. Redistricting followed state constitutional rules in jurisdictions such as California, Texas, and Pennsylvania, and triggered litigation in venues like the United States Supreme Court and federal district courts. Political stakeholders including the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee mobilized along with state parties in response to reapportionment outcomes. Census-derived socioeconomic data fed into campaign strategies for election cycles involving figures like Barack Obama and Mitt Romney and influenced analyses by think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation and the Center for American Progress.

Controversies included debates over citizenship questions advocated by actors connected to proposals in the Department of Commerce and litigation reminiscent of disputes seen in cases like Department of Commerce v. New York in later cycles. Coverage errors, undercounts among communities represented by organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice, and the cost overruns prompted scrutiny from committees of the United States Congress and reports by the Government Accountability Office. Legal issues involved compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act and confidentiality protections aligned with statutes administered by the Office of Personnel Management and decisions referencing precedents from the United States Court of Appeals circuits.

Post-census, datasets supported federal funding allocation formulas across programs administered by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education, and informed infrastructure planning by departments such as the Federal Highway Administration. Researchers at institutions like Harvard University, UC Berkeley, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology used the data for demographic, urban, and economic studies, while private firms including Esri and Google integrated boundaries into mapping services. The census stimulated methodological research by the American Enterprise Institute and the Urban Institute and guided subsequent innovations adopted for the 2020 United States Census. Its datasets remain archived in repositories associated with the National Archives and Records Administration and used in longitudinal projects like the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series.