rdwyer@fastmail.com · junk-mail

Celebrating the US — and data

Mon Jun 29, 2026 · 09:32 PM EDT

From: "USAFacts" <info@usafacts.org>
To: <rdwyer@fastmail.com>

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[USAFacts](usafacts.org/)

The founders knew the importance of data

Data has been a part of the nation=E2=80=99s story from the beginning. Amer=
ica=E2=80=99s founding as a representative democracy was predicated on the =
idea that Congress would represent the people. So that begged some of the [=
simplest data questions](usafacts.org/articles/analyst-notes-the-ro=
le-of-government-data-in-americas-founding/?utm_content=3Dsection1_text) a =
new government could possibly face: How many people are in this new nation?=
And where do they live?

Population questions were so essential to the nation=E2=80=99s founders tha=
t not only did they use the Constitution to mandate getting the answers, th=
ey put it in the first 300 words. That mandate reads: The actual Enumeratio=
n shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress =
of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of 10 Years, in such=
Manner as they shall by Law direct. Thus, the US census was born.

[Census in the constitution](usafacts.org/articles/analyst-notes-th=
e-role-of-government-data-in-americas-founding/?utm_content=3Dsection1_char=
t2)

That=E2=80=99s how high up on the first page of the Constitution that the n=
ation=E2=80=99s founders mandated a census.

Congress needed population data to allocate lawmakers in the newly formed H=
ouse of Representatives. Initially, the census counted =E2=80=9Cfree person=
s=E2=80=9D of any race, mostly excluded American Indians until 1860, and on=
ly three-fifths of the count of enslaved people went towards assigning Cong=
ressional representation. The census has since evolved from a system that r=
eflected the nation=E2=80=99s unequal treatment of some people to one now t=
hat aims to count every person living in the United States.
=C2=A0=E2=80=8B

The census was also the beginning of a formalized revenue model, as the gov=
ernment intended to tax states proportionally to cover war debts.
=C2=A0=E2=80=8B

The first census was in 1790. Within 18 months, it counted 3,929,214 people=
total. The survey asked heads of households to categorize the people in a =
household by age, sex, race, and enslaved status.
=C2=A0

These early population counts are almost like growth charts for this new na=
tion. We can look at them now and see that the population grew by about one=
-third each decade until the Civil War.

[US population change by decade](usafacts.org/articles/analyst-note=
s-the-role-of-government-data-in-americas-founding/?utm_content=3Dsection1_=
chart)

As the country grew, so did its challenges =E2=80=94 and its data collectio=
n. Congress implemented manufacturing surveys in 1810 amid concerns about s=
hortages of imported European goods. It created the Bureau of Labor Statist=
ics in 1884 amid labor strife and, during the Great Depression, developed s=
urveys for unemployment data.
=C2=A0

=E2=80=8BToday, the federal statistical system spans more than 100 agencies=
and programs, including 13 principal statistical agencies. Our population =
has grown by more than 80-fold since 1790.

[See the data](usafacts.org/articles/analyst-notes-th…e-of-gove=
rnment-data-in-americas-founding/?utm_content=3Dsection1_button)

[USAFacts](usafacts.org/)

Data we deserve

So, you've seen how important data collection is to the United States. This=
information is supposed to help lawmakers craft policies to serve the peop=
le. We, the people, can use it to understand how well (or not) government p=
rograms are working.

Data needs are so crucial that the founders mentioned them in the Constitut=
ion before a president or a military. But the way the top agencies, such as=
the Social Security Administration, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and th=
e Environmental Protection Agency, collect data does not meet the nation=E2=
=80=99s modern needs. ([We have a whole report](usafacts.org/the-fu=
ture-of-government-data/?utm_content=3Dblurb_text) on how to fix this.)

Please join us in [telling Congress to modernize data collection](u=
safacts.org/data-we-depend-on/?utm_content=3Dblurb_text).

[Sign the petition](usafacts.org/data-we-depend-on/?utm_content=3Db=
lurb_button)

[USAFacts](usafacts.org/)

How is your state growing?

Now, let=E2=80=99s dig deeper into the reason for the census=E2=80=99s crea=
tion:=C2=A0[the US population](usafacts.org/answers/how-many-people=
-live-in-the-us/country/united-states/?utm_content=3Dsection2_text). The na=
tion was home to about 341.8 million people last year, making it the third-=
most populous country worldwide. While the population has grown for over a =
century, the pace has recently slowed due to lower birth rates, deaths, and=
shifting immigration patterns.

The US grew by 1.78 million between 2024 and 2025 and accounts for 4.2% of =
the world's population. That=E2=80=99s roughly one out of 24 people on Eart=
h.
=C2=A0=E2=80=8B

Between 2014 and 2024, the number of people 65 or older grew by 15 million,=
while the number of people younger than 18 decreased by 460,700. As of 202=
4, people 65 and older accounted for 18% of the population, while children =
accounted for 21.6%.

[State population estimates](usafacts.org/answers/how-many-people-l=
ive-in-the-us/country/united-states/?utm_content=3Dsection2_chart)

Four states =E2=80=94 California (39.4 million residents), Texas (31.7 mill=
ion), Florida (23.5 million), and New York (20 million) =E2=80=94 accounted=
for over a third of the population.
=C2=A0=E2=80=8B

Finally, some facts on three of the 13 original colonies: Massachusetts, ho=
me of the Boston Tea Party protest, had its population grow from 2.79 milli=
on in 1900 to 7.15 million in 2025. Delaware, the first state, grew from 18=
5,000 to 1.06 million in that time. Pennsylvania, home of the Constitution=
=E2=80=99s signing, grew from 6.31 million in 1900 to 13.06 million last ye=
ar.
=C2=A0=E2=80=8B

Find your state, county, or metro area [here](usafacts.org/answers/=
how-many-people-live-in-the-us/country/united-states/?utm_content=3Dsection=
2_text2)!

[See the data](usafacts.org/answers/how-many-people-l…n-the-us/=
country/united-states/?utm_content=3Dsection2_button)

[USAFacts](usafacts.org/)

Data behind the news

The Supreme Court has ruled that the Trump administration can end Temporary=
Protected Status (TPS) for people from Haiti and Syria. TPS allows people =
to [live and work in the United States temporarily](usafacts.org/ar=
ticles/temporary-protected-status-tps-definition/?utm_content=3Ddbtn_text) =
while conditions in their home countries make it unsafe for them to return.

Congress has passed a housing bill, but President Trump has stated he will =
not sign it until lawmakers pass the SAVE America Act. (If left unsigned an=
d Congress is in session, the bill will still become law after 10 days.) [S=
ee the trends](ctrk.klclick1.com/l/01KSKGYB6YFA10SQQV93J9P7XS_15)=
=E2=80=AFin=E2=80=AFhousing=E2=80=AFaffordability nationwide.

See if you know the facts with the [weekly fact quiz](usafacts.org/=
weekly-fact-quiz/?utm_content=3Ddbtn_text).

[USAFacts](usafacts.org/)

One last fact

[How many registered voters are in each state?](usafacts.org/articl=
es/how-many-voters-have-a-party-affiliation/?utm_content=3Donelastfact_char=
t)

At least 204.6 million Americans were [registered to vote](usafacts=
.org/articles/how-many-voters-have-a-party-affiliation/?utm_content=3Donela=
stfact_text) as of last April. That=E2=80=99s more than seven in 10 people =
who are 18 or older. California had the most registered voters, 23.1 millio=
n, while Wyoming had the fewest (271,337).

Voter registration rates were highest in Minnesota at 83.6%. Seven other st=
ates (and Washington, DC) also had registration rates above 80.0%. Arkansas=
=E2=80=99s rate of 64.7% was the nation=E2=80=99s lowest.

(Note: Not all states have reported 2026 voter registration data.)

[USAFacts](usafacts.org/)

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