The 2010 Census

Posted by Gary O'Rielly 
on Jan 29, 2012
 
Mike Burns, Deputy Regional Director, US Census Bureau spoke to our club on January 24, 2012 about the 2010 Census results along with a brief history of the Census.  The Census has been around since 1790. The French wanted the new world country to have a monarchy which was rejected by the Indians.  The Census is based on our political system. The two components are 1) Apportionment and 2) Redistricting. The first census for the Washington territory was conducted in 1853. The population of the territory  which included Idaho was 3,965. However, Native Americans were not counted. At the time there was a 75.85% maie population and a 26.15% female population. Washington has a very mixed cultural population. It wasn't until 1890 that the Native Americans were counted in the Census.

Today in Alaska, it is still primarily a male dominated state. The 2010 Census gave Washington its 10th Congressional District while Texas picked up an additional four Congressional seats. Each Congressional District in the State of Washington represents a population of 672,454.  California has the most Congressional Districts with 53. California has the largest Congressional Delegation in the United States. California did not gain or loose any Congressional seats in the 2010 census. Cultural diversification in the United States will be significant over the next two to three decades. Due to annexation, Lake Stevens saw a significant gain in population by over 341% as compared to the 2000 census

Mike Burns gave a very provocative overview of the history of the Census along with the results of the 2010 outcome. The Census puts on a number of workshops that provide assistance to communities like Lake Stevens. For more information visit their website at www.census.gov. Excellent presentation. Thanks Mike.