Since its first national census in 1790, the United States has counted its population every ten years in order to apportion seats in the House of Representatives. But over the years, the process evolved into more than just a head count used to divide political representation and today includes information on social issues most relevant to Americans at a given time. For instance, in addition to the decennial population and housing census, the Bureau releases reports every five years on the economy, many demographic and economic surveys and an annual American Community Survey.