Margo Anderson, The American Census: A Social History (New Haven: Yale University Press, paper, 1990)

The study examines the political and social history of the American census from 1790 through the 1980s, including the origins of the census clause in the American Constitution, and the development of census procedures over time. It analyzes the ideas and values of those who made the decisions of how to gather, compile, and use the statistics, and treats the historical roots of the census undercount, as well as the role of the census in apportioning seats in the House of Representatives, regulating immigration, measuring unemployment, and defining formulas for allocating tax revenue and civil rights goals. There is ‘a politics of population' in the United States, and the census is crucial for an understanding of national policies on issues of race, growth, equity, and justice.