America Counts: Stories Behind the Numbers

Tensions between the American colonists and their British colonizers had been brewing for years, much of it about tea, and finally erupted into the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773, a political act of defiance against taxation without representation.

The colonists eventually declared independence and the U.S. Constitution was ratified, mandating a population count to ensure everyone was represented in the new democracy. The first census count was taken in 1790 and continues to be taken every 10 years. The next one will be conducted in 2030.

On the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, we look at the population profile of the original 13 colonies and what U.S. Census Bureau data tell us about how the U.S. population has grown and ancestries have shifted.

Continue reading to learn more about: 

• The population of the colonies in the 1770s
• Nationality in 1790 compared to ancestry in 2022
• The tea trade

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Data on race and ethnicity from the 2020 Census show that the English alone population was the largest detailed White group nationally, in 35 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

About America Counts

America Counts features stories on various topics including: 

• Families, Housing, Employment, Business, Education, Economy 
• Emergency Management, Health, Population, Income and Poverty

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