2010 United States Census facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Twenty-third Census of the United States
U.S. Census Bureau Seal
General Information
Date Taken	April 1, 2010
Total U.S. Population	308,745,538
Percent Change	9.7%
Most Populous State	California 37,253,956
Least Populous State	Wyoming 563,626
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The 2010 United States Census was a big count of all the people living in the United States. It's also called Census 2010. The Census Bureau, a part of the U.S. government, was in charge of this important task.

The census happened on April 1, 2010. It found that 308,745,538 people lived in the U.S. at that time. This was a 9.7 percent increase from the 281,421,906 people counted in the 2000 Census. This count was the twenty-third time the U.S. had done a nationwide census.

For the 2010 Census, people only had to answer a short form. This form asked ten basic questions about their household.

Understanding Census Costs

Counting everyone in a country as big as the United States costs a lot of money. The 2010 Census cost about $13 billion in total. This means it cost around $42 for each person counted.

Managing Census Expenses

The Census Bureau worked hard to keep costs down. In 2010, the Secretary of Commerce, Gary Locke, announced that the census's day-to-day costs were lower than expected. They had a budget of almost $7 billion for these costs, but they managed to save money in several ways:

• They saved $650 million because many households mailed back their questionnaires. About 72% of homes sent their forms back, which meant fewer workers had to visit homes.
• Another $150 million was saved in areas like Alaska and tribal lands, where costs were lower than planned.
• An emergency fund of $800 million was set aside but wasn't needed.

Images for kids

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  A map showing the population change of each US State by percentage.

See also

In Spanish: Censo de los Estados Unidos de 2010 para niños