ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

United States Census, 2000

Okay kiddo, so do you know what a census is? It’s like counting everyone in our country so we know how many people there are and what kind of people live here. In 2000, the United States government wanted to do a census to get an accurate count of how many people were living in the country and also to learn more about them.

So, the government sent out forms to every household in the country and asked them to fill out some basic information about themselves. It was like a big survey. The survey asked questions like how many people lived in the household, their names, ages, and races. The form also asked about the types of jobs people had and how much money they made.

Some people may have been nervous about filling out the form, but it’s important to remember that all the information collected was kept confidential. That means nobody else could see it, not even the government. The census helps the government make decisions about how to spend money and provide services to different parts of the country based on the needs of its population.

Once all the surveys were collected, the government used them to make a count of how many people lived in each state and city. This information was used to redraw boundaries for voting districts and make sure that each district had a roughly equal number of people living in it.

Overall, the United States Census of 2000 was important because it helped the government understand the needs and characteristics of the population so they could make decisions that would benefit everyone.