As the central office for New England, the Bureau of the Census in Boston has seen a hub of activity during the launch of the 2010 Census this spring. The collection, which occurs every 10 years, created thousands of temporary, part-time and permanent jobs across the country as people went door-to-door gathering information from people who didn't return their mail-in form. The first census took place in 1790 under Thomas Jefferson, and U.S. marshals visited homes on horseback and counted 3.9 million people.
The data is used in congressional redistricting and to determine the allocation of federal funding for needs like education, government programs like Medicaid, and the distribution of community and neighborhood grants.
The Boston bureau can provide everything from population estimates, to economic, social demographic and housing breakdowns. The website contains maps, links to state data centers for localized information, community facts, sheets for workshops and presentations, and even a kids' corner.