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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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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

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. By how many people did the count grow from 1860 to 1870?
  2. 2. Why might so many people have come to California between 1850 and 1860?
  3. 3. Did California grow by more people from 1850 to 1860 or from 1860 to 1870? Explain how you know.
  4. 4. By how many people did the count grow from 1850 to 1870?
2.Why does the census matter for Congress?
  • A.It decides how many members each state has in the House of Representatives
  • B.It decides who is President
  • C.It sets the price of stamps
3.A table has a column for years and a column for population. What does each row show?
  • A.How many states there were
  • B.Who counted the people
  • C.How many people were counted in one year
4.In what year was the first US census taken?
  • A.1950
  • B.1492
  • C.1790
5.Which of these can a census count NOT tell you?
  • A.Which year the count was made
  • B.Why each person moved to where they live
  • C.How many people lived in a place
6.A state's population went from 10,000 to 25,000. By how many people did it grow?
  • A.10,000 + 25,000 = 35,000 people
  • B.25,000 people
  • C.25,000 − 10,000 = 15,000 people

LessonPrint · D3.1.3-5 · Set 18 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Reading a Population Table

Set 18. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. 560,247 − 379,994 = 180,253 people. 2. Many came because gold was found in California in 1848. 3. 379,994 − 92,597 = 287,397; 560,247 − 379,994 = 180,253; so from 1850 to 1860. 4. 560,247 − 92,597 = 467,650 people.
  2. 2.It decides how many members each state has in the House of Representatives
  3. 3.How many people were counted in one year
  4. 4.1790
  5. 5.Why each person moved to where they live
  6. 6.25,000 − 10,000 = 15,000 people

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