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Reading a Population Table is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on reading change over time from census figures, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D3.1.3-5. It prints 6 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

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Reading a Population Table

D3.1.3-5

NameDate

Read the table and answer the questions. Show your work. Then choose the best answers.

1.Read the table, then answer the questions.

Population of California, 1850 to 1870

Figures from the United States Census of 1850, 1860 and 1870, set out as a table for this worksheet. YEAR ...... PEOPLE COUNTED IN CALIFORNIA 1850 ...... 92,597 1860 ...... 379,994 1870 ...... 560,247 Notes: Gold was found in California in January 1848. The census counts the people of every state once every ten years. The 1850 count missed some places whose records were lost, and most Native Californians were not counted.

  1. 1. Why might the real number of people in 1850 have been higher than 92,597?
  2. 2. By how many people did the count grow from 1860 to 1870?
  3. 3. How many more people were counted in 1860 than in 1850?
  4. 4. Why might so many people have come to California between 1850 and 1860?
2.Why is it useful to put census numbers in a table?
  • A.So no one can read them
  • B.So the numbers for different years can be compared quickly
  • C.So the numbers can be hidden
3.A state's population went from 10,000 to 25,000. By how many people did it grow?
  • A.25,000 − 10,000 = 15,000 people
  • B.25,000 people
  • C.10,000 + 25,000 = 35,000 people
4.A town had 2,500 people in 1880 and 4,000 in 1890. How many more people lived there in 1890?
  • A.4,000 − 2,500 = 1,500 more people
  • B.4,000 + 2,500 = 6,500 more people
  • C.4,000 more people
5.Which of these can a census count NOT tell you?
  • A.Why each person moved to where they live
  • B.Which year the count was made
  • C.How many people lived in a place
6.Census figures collected at the time are which kind of source?
  • A.A secondary source written later
  • B.A made-up story
  • C.A primary source

LessonPrint · D3.1.3-5 · Set 14 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Reading a Population Table

Set 14. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The 1850 count missed some places whose records were lost. 2. 560,247 − 379,994 = 180,253 people. 3. 379,994 − 92,597 = 287,397 more people. 4. Many came because gold was found in California in 1848.
  2. 2.So the numbers for different years can be compared quickly
  3. 3.25,000 − 10,000 = 15,000 people
  4. 4.4,000 − 2,500 = 1,500 more people
  5. 5.Why each person moved to where they live
  6. 6.A primary source

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D3.1.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.