census

noun

cen·​sus ˈsen(t)-səs 

1

: a count of the population and a property evaluation in early Rome

2

: a usually complete enumeration of a population

specifically : a periodic governmental enumeration of population

According to the latest U.S census, 16% of the population is of Hispanic or Latino origin.

3

: count, tally

a census of deer in a game refuge

census transitive verb

Synonyms

• count
• tale
• tally

Examples of census in a Sentence

According to the latest census, the racial makeup of the town has changed dramatically in the last 50 years.

a thorough census of all the grizzly bears living within the national park

Recent Examples on the Web

Rents rose at similar rates in the D.C. and Baltimore metro areas, census data shows, though rents in the suburbs around the District were higher to begin with. —Emily Guskin, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024

During the first two months of this year, builders in California pulled 35% more permits for single-family homes than during the same period a year earlier, according to census data. —Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024

The fact is those state legislatures had in front of them the census data and the other demographic data that clearly indicated that there needed to in each of those states be two rather than one Black Opportunity District. —Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2024

But nearly 500,000 left in 2022, according to the most recent census data. —Josh Feldman, NBC News, 31 Mar. 2024

The median price of a home in the US is $417,000, according to census data, meaning the average seller could be paying more than $25,000 in brokerage fees. —Samantha Delouya, CNN, 30 Mar. 2024

Over the past decade, the allure of suburban life under cloudless skies has swelled the population of greater Phoenix to five million from 4.2 million, according to census data. —Peter S. Goodman, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024

Uttar Pradesh is home to some 200 million people, about 20% of whom are Muslim, according to the country’s most recent census data from 2011. —Rhea Mogul, CNN, 25 Mar. 2024

State and federal wildlife agencies counted at least 257 Mexican gray wolves in the wild, according to figures released Tuesday in the annual census of the endangered species. —Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 5 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin cēnsus, from cēnsēre "to give as an opinion, assess, appraise, perform the duties of a censor" + -tus, suffix of verbal action — more at censor entry 1

First Known Use

1634, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing census

• census clause

Kids Definition

census

noun

cen·​sus ˈsen(t)-səs 

: a counting of the population (as of a country, city, or town) and a gathering of related statistics done by a government every so often

Legal Definition

census

noun

cen·​sus

: a usually complete count of a population (as of a state)

especially : a periodic governmental count of a population that usually includes social and economic information (as occupations, ages, and incomes)