CENSUS TIMELINE

1790: The first census was conducted in the 13 original states as well as districts of Maine, Vermont, Kentucky and the Southwest Territory (Tennessee).

1850: The census asked for the first time whether people could read or write.

1860: American Indians living under state and territorial laws as citizens were counted for the first time; this was the final census with slave schedules.

1880: Professional enumerators replaced U.S. Marshals as census takers; all untaxed Indians were enumerated.

1920: The first census in which the majority of the population lived in urban areas.

1930: Census takers asked people for the first time whether their home had a radio.

1950: A computer (Univac I) was used for the first time to tabulate results.

1960: The first mail-out decennial census.

1970: A separate question about Hispanic origin was asked of a sample of 5 percent of the population.

1980: A question on Hispanic origin was asked of everyone for the first time.

1990: A one-night sweep of homeless shelters and other areas was conducted for the first time.

2000: For the first time, respondents could check as many boxes as necessary to identify their race; aggressive paid advertising contributed to the rise in the mail-back rate to 67 percent.

2010: The 23rd head count of the U.S. population. The 2010 form is one of the shortest in history with 10 questions; the long form was converted to an ongoing survey throughout the decade; areas with high concentrations of Spanish-speaking residents receive a bilingual form; ads encouraging participation appear in 28 languages; expected U.S. population is around 309 million.