1990 United States Census — determined the resident population of the United States on 1 April 1990
The 1990 U.S. Census recorded a population of 248,709,873, introduced new racial classifications, and was the first directed by a woman.
Key Facts
- Resident Population
- 248,709,873
- Population Increase from 1980
- 9.8 percent
- Long-form Households
- ~16 percent
- First Female Census Director
- Barbara Everitt Bryant
- 2nd-Largest City (first since 1880)
- Los Angeles overtook Chicago
- Personally Identifiable Data Released
- 2062
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
As mandated by the U.S. Constitution, a decennial census is conducted every ten years to count the resident population. The 1990 census followed the 1980 count of 226,545,805 and was required to apportion congressional representation and federal resources among states and localities.
Conducted by the Census Bureau on April 1, 1990, the census enumerated 248,709,873 residents. It was the first directed by a woman, Barbara Everitt Bryant, and the first to classify Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders as a racial group distinct from Asians. About 16 percent of households completed a long form exceeding 100 questions.
The census confirmed Los Angeles had surpassed Chicago as the second-largest U.S. city for the first time since 1880, and established Wyoming as the least populous state. Its racial classification changes reshaped demographic data collection, and aggregate data were made available through the National Historical Geographic Information System.