Censuses provide population numbers, household or family size and composition, and information on sex and age distribution. They often include other demographic, economic and health-related topics as well. Subjects covered by the census include housing, household demographics, employment, education, migration, and fertility. This United States census was taken officialy on April 1, 2010, through forms mailed to U.S. households. The mail form response rate was 74%. Census takers visited households that did not return forms April through July.

The National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS), a project managed by the Minnesota Population Center at the University of Minnesota, offers online access to summary statistics and geographic information system (GIS) boundary files for United States censuses, American Community Surveys, and other national surveys from 1790 to the present.