On April 1, 2010, the Census Bureau launched a critical national effort that affects the apportionment of congressional seats, and how the federal government annually allocates $300 billion in federal assistance to state, local and tribal governments.
The 2010 Census had one of the shortest census questionnaires in the history of the United States, dating back to the nation’s first census in 1790. The 2010 Census asked for name, gender, age, race, ethnicity, relationship and whether the householder owns or rents their home. The census form was designed to take only about 10 minutes on average to complete, and answers are protected by law and are strictly confidential.