Sunday, April 5, 2009

April is Census History Month

This Month in Census History

April 1 has been "Census Day" for each decennial census since 1940. The date marks the start of the 1-year countdown as the United States prepares for its next census on April 1, 2010.

Did you Know????

Did You Know?

The Census Bureau partnered with Major League Baseball® to produce public service announcements (PSAs) for Census 2000. The PSAs aired during sports and primetime television programming and on the “Jumbotron” scoreboards at 25 of 28 Major League ballparks.

Play Ball! - April 2009

For many Americans, Spring has not “sprung” until umpires across the United States commence the 2009 Major League Baseball® and Minor League Baseball® seasons by hollering, “Play Ball!” On April 5, the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and Los Angeles Dodgers will kickoff the 2009 baseball season.

As players take to the field this month, census data illustrate how important the game of baseball has become to our nation’s demographics and economy:

During the 2007 Major League Baseball® season, approximately 79 million fans rooted for their favorite teams. Approximately 1.3 million fans attended their teams play-off and World Series games.

According to the 2002 Economic Census, professional and semiprofessional baseball organizations employed 15,976 people.

Both baseball players and fans support a thriving sports equipment industry. In 2002, the total value of U.S. sporting and athletic goods shipments was approximately $11.9 billion.

According to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, if every hot dog consumed at major league ballparks this season was laid end-to-end, they would stretch from Nationals Park in Washington, DC to AT&T Park in San Francisco!