consists of eminent statisticians from all countries, has done much to improve the taking of censuses, and now several countries, such as Austria, Belgium, Italy, Prussia, Russia, and Switzerland, have statistical bureaus for the purpose, among other things, of controlling the taking of the periodical census. In the United Kingdom the practice is for Parliament to pass special acts directing the taking of each census.
The United States Census of 1910 had as its head Edward Dana Durand, who enlisted more than 71,400 employes. The local enumerators, on June 1, began to gather the required information by going through the country from house to house, and all the information was tabulated at Washington by more than 3,000 clerks.
In the enumeration of 1910 the territory of Hawaii and that of Porto Rico were included. It was required that the four principal reports, those on population, mortality, manufactures, and agriculture, should be published by July, 1912. The salaries of the 3,000 clerks amounted to nearly $3,000,000 a year, and the pay of the enumerators was more than $5,855,500, so that the total expenses of the Census of 1910 amounted to nearly $15,000,000.
Census of 1920.—The Fourteenth Decennial Census was of the date of Jan. 1, 1920. It included in its scope (1st) population; (2d) agriculture, including drainage and irrigation; (3d) manufacturing; (4th) forestry and forest products; and (5th) mines, quarries, and oil and gas production. It is estimated that at least three years were required before all the subjects treated were completed. The cost of the census will be approximately $20,500,000. Over 90,000 enumerators, besides special agents, clerks, and supervisors, were employed. In 1925 a special census of manufactures will be taken and provision has been made for a biennial census of the products of manufacturing industries.
The population census of continental United States was completed on Oct. 7, 1920. The population of the United States, as a result of the census, was found to be 105,683,108, compared with 91,972,266 for 1910, and 75,994,575 for 1900. The percentage of increase in the decade was 14.0 per cent., compared with an increase in the previous decade of 21 per cent. The large falling off in the growth of the country as a whole as shown by these figures was due chiefly to an almost complete cessation of immigration for more than five years preceding the taking of the census in January, 1920. In some degree the result is also due to the epidemic of influenza in 1919 and to the casualties resulting from the World War.
The census indicated that the trend of the population from the country to the city had become greatly accentuated since 1910, and that for the first time in the history of the country more than one-half of the population in 1920 lived in urban territory as defined by the census bureau. 51.9 per cent, lived in incorporated places of 2,500 inhabitants and more, and 48.1 per cent, in rural territory. The urban population increased in the decade 28.6 per cent., and the rural population 3.1 per cent.
The following table gives the population of cities of 25,000 and over, according to the census of 1920:
Cities | Population | Per Cent. of Increase | ||
1920 | 1910 | 1910-1920 | 1900-1910 | |
Akron, O. | 208,435 | 69,067 | 201.8 | 61.6 |
Alameda, Cal. | 28,806 | 23,383 | 23.2 | 42.0 |
Albany, N. Y. | 113,344 | 100,253 | 13.1 | 6.5 |
Allentown, Pa. | 73,502 | 51,913 | 41.6 | 46.6 |
Altoona, Pa. | 60,331 | 52,127 | 15.7 | 33.8 |
Amsterdam, N. Y. | 33,524 | 31,267 | 7.2 | 49.4 |
Anderson, Ind. | 29,767 | 22,476 | 32.4 | 11.4 |
Asheville, N. C. | 28,504 | 18,762 | 51.9 | 27.7 |
Atlanta, Ga. | 200,616 | 154,839 | 29.6 | 72.3 |
Atlantic City, N. J. | 50,707 | 46,150 | 9.8 | 65.8 |
Auburn, N. Y. | 36,192 | 34,668 | 4.4 | 14.2 |
Augusta, Ga. | 52,548 | 41,040 | 28.0 | 4.1 |
Aurora, Ill. | 36,397 | 29,807 | 22.1 | 23.4 |
Austin, Tex. | 34,876 | 29,860 | 16.8 | 34.2 |
Baltimore, Md. | 733,826 | 558,485 | 31.4 | 9.7 |
Bangor, Me. | 25,978 | 24,803 | 4.7 | 13.5 |
Battle Creek, Mich. | 36,164 | 25,267 | 43.1 | 36.1 |
Bay City, Mich. | 47,554 | 45,166 | 5.3 | 63.3 |
Bayonne, N. J. | 76,754 | 55,545 | 38.2 | 69.7 |
Beaumont, Tex. | 40,422 | 20,640 | 95.8 | 118.9 |
26—Vol. II—Cyc