Census Bureau news stories on Newser

Homeownership Falls to 15-Year Low

Kevin Spak — Tue, 01 May 2012 08:19:03 CDT

The US homeownership rate fell to 65.4% in the first quarter to hit a 15-year-low, as foreclosures and a strong rental market kept Americans away from homeownership, according to figures released by the Census Bureau today. That's down from 66% last quarter, and from 69.2% at the market's...

Obama Wants Power to Merge 6 Trade Agencies

Kevin Spak — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:39:05 CST

President Obama will today announce a plan to mash together six federal agencies—including the Commerce Department—in an effort to simplify the government's sprawling regulatory bureaucracy. Obama can't actually make the move without Congressional approval, however, so he intends to ask Congress for a special reorganizational power—last held...

Census Memo: Please Stop Napping at Work

John Johnson — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:19:35 CDT

The Federal Eye blog at the Washington Post picks up on two memos to government employees not of the usual variety (we hope): Nap time: Census Bureau officials fielding increased complaints about workers "sleeping in public areas" of its Maryland headquarters cracked down: “Sleeping on the premises is not acceptable...

Obama Only Marked Black on Census—Unfortunately

Kate Schwartz — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:17:05 CDT

When Barack Obama sat down to fill out his census form, he checked off one race: black. And as one of the most famous mixed-race people in the world, "he missed an opportunity," writes Gregory Rodriguez for the Los Angeles Times . In the 20th century, the idea of racial purity...

US Hispanic Population Exceeds 50M

John Johnson — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:14:04 CDT

The latest Census Bureau numbers mark a milestone for the Hispanic population in the US—the figure exceeds 50 million for the first time. The total (50,477,594 to be exact) is a 43% increase from a decade ago, reports CNN . Related stats: Hispanics, now the nation's second largest...

Census: California Power Shifting Inland to Hispanics

John Johnson — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 14:43:05 CST

California's census numbers confirm the rise of the state's Hispanics: Latinos now make up 37.6% of the population (or 14 million), just a shade below the 40.1% of whites (15 million). And the trend is clear—that's a 28% increase for Hispanics over the last decade and a...

1 in 4 US Counties 'Dying'

Rob Quinn — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 05:50:03 CST

Almost a quarter of America's 3,142 counties are slowly dying, according to the US Census Bureau. Some 760 counties are now recording more deaths than births, census figures show, and what demographers call "natural decrease" is accelerating as the downturn pushes birth rates down and forces young people to...

Nevada's Sunny Census Numbers Belie Gloom

Mark Russell — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 10:40:26 CST

New Census figures tell the tale of Nevada's explosive growth, but the truer, more recent story is one of bust, reports the New York Times . Nevada's population soared 35% to 2.7 million from 2 million between 2000 and 2010, putting it in the No. 1 slot in terms of...

Census Results Could Be Really Good News for GOP

Matt Cantor — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 06:00:00 CST

The Census Bureau will announce its new population figures tomorrow, and Republicans will likely be fans of the numbers. Based on the figures, as many as 18 states could see their number of congressional districts and representatives change, a political consultant tells NPR . Texas is set to gain three Congressional...