census

American  

[sen-suhs] / ˈsɛn səs /

noun

censuses plural

1. an official enumeration of the population, with details as to age, sex or gender, occupation, etc.

2. (in ancient Rome) the registration of citizens and their property, for purposes of taxation.

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verb (used with object)

1. to take a census of (a country, city, etc.).

   The entire nation is censused every 10 years.

census British  

/ ˈsɛnsəs /

noun

1. an official periodic count of a population including such information as sex, age, occupation, etc

2. any offical count

   a traffic census

3. (in ancient Rome) a registration of the population and a property evaluation for purposes of taxation

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• precensus
  noun
• censual
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• censuses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of census

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin: “a listing and property assessment of citizens,” equivalent to cēns(ēre) “to assess, register (citizens) in a census” + -tus suffix of verb action; for -s- in place of -st- see censor

Explanation

If you live in the U.S., every ten years you'll participate in a census, a process for counting people. The information collected is used to plan for schools, transportation, social services people will need, and also for determining congressional districts. On the census form you’ll be asked how many people live in your house, their ages, and ethnic and racial backgrounds. With this, the government can plan facilities and also track population trends — whether cities are growing or shrinking, what ethnic groups make up our population, and where they live. We get the word and the idea from the Romans, who registered citizens and their property so they could be taxed. The first U.S. census was held in 1790.

Example Sentences

Lakeside’s median household income stagnated at $77,435 in the five years ending in 2024, adjusted for inflation, according to the most recent census survey data.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 5, 2026

By July 2020, 52% of young Americans age 18 to 29 lived with at least one parent, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of census data.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 5, 2026

And the census is still trying to figure out how to ask questions to sort out race, ethnicity and origins.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2026

Researchers calculated what could happen if every newborn child in high-poverty census tracts received seed money in the accounts but made no extra contributions over 18 years.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 30, 2026

Besides simply counting how many people actually live in America, that census tally also determines how many seats each state gets in Congress and how many electors each state receives in a presidential election.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Related Words

• enumeration
• poll