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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. What does the table not tell you about who was living in California?
  2. 2. By how many people did the count grow from 1860 to 1870?
  3. 3. Why might the real number of people in 1850 have been higher than 92,597?
  4. 4. Did California grow by more people from 1850 to 1860 or from 1860 to 1870? Explain how you know.
2.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
3.The US Constitution says the people must be counted every ten years. What is this count called?
  • A.The ballot
  • B.The census
  • C.The budget
4.Which of these can a census count NOT tell you?
  • A.Why each person moved to where they live
  • B.How many people lived in a place
  • C.Which year the count was made
5.Which kind of graph best shows how a population changed over many years?
  • A.A line graph
  • B.A compass rose
  • C.A map key
6.Census figures collected at the time are which kind of source?
  • A.A secondary source written later
  • B.A primary source
  • C.A made-up story

LessonPrint · D3.1.3-5 · Set 2 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Reading a Population Table

Set 2. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Most Native Californians were not counted, so it leaves many people out. 2. 560,247 − 379,994 = 180,253 people. 3. The 1850 count missed some places whose records were lost. 4. 379,994 − 92,597 = 287,397; 560,247 − 379,994 = 180,253; so from 1850 to 1860.
  2. 2.25,000 − 10,000 = 15,000 people
  3. 3.The census
  4. 4.Why each person moved to where they live
  5. 5.A line graph
  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.