4,636, 838. That’s how many people were in the 13 states of the brand new country called the United States of America on this date in 1790,
NATIONAL U.S. CENSUS DAY!
Almost 700,000 Americans were slaves at the time, and counted as only 3/5ths of a person, a situation since rectified at considerable cost to America’s soul, and one that scars us still.
Congress decided we’d do this every 10 years, count up who’s who in America, and so the United States Census Bureau was created to count us, and also to collect economic, social and ethnic information as well, the better for Uncle Sam to know the people he serves, and to better allocate the hundreds of billions in federal funds.
The States also rely on the demographic and economic data collected, especially the projections for the immediate future. The Census Bureau chops the country into 4 regions; the Northeast, the Midwest, the South and the West, with 9 subdivisions.
These days they have a website with a population clock ticking off a new birth every second or so, and right now there’s 334,233,854 of us, down a million from one year ago, which was inflated by a “Covid Isolation Spike” in births. By the year 2050, there will be 450 million people in America’s 50 states, 4 territories and the District of Colombia. 88 million of them will be old, but unfortunately, Florida will be no larger, so those that lose the Florida lottery will have to retire to real southern states and learn the local language.
But don’t blame the Census Takers, they’re just doing their jobs.
•Suggested Activities: Investing in baby food and toys.