“Representation and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers … . The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.”

— Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution of the United States

Every 10 years, the United States Constitution mandates a head count of every American. This enumeration is important because it is used to determine how many seats in the House of Representatives each state will receive. It can also mean billions of more dollars for one state over another. VisualEconomics has published an infographic on the United States census.

The US Census does a lot more than just count population. Here’s a breakdown of what it does and its progress through the years.

A Breakdown of the 2010 Census

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