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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. Did California grow by more people from 1850 to 1860 or from 1860 to 1870? Explain how you know.
  2. 2. Why might the real number of people in 1850 have been higher than 92,597?
  3. 3. How often does the census count the people?
  4. 4. Why might so many people have come to California between 1850 and 1860?
2.In what year was the first US census taken?
  • A.1950
  • B.1790
  • C.1492
3.A table shows 1850 and 1870 but not 1860. What can you not tell from it?
  • A.The population in 1870
  • B.Whether the population rose steadily or in jumps
  • C.The population in 1850
4.A table has a column for years and a column for population. What does each row show?
  • A.Who counted the people
  • B.How many states there were
  • C.How many people were counted in one year
5.Which of these can a census count NOT tell you?
  • A.Which year the count was made
  • B.How many people lived in a place
  • C.Why each person moved to where they live
6.The US Constitution says the people must be counted every ten years. What is this count called?
  • A.The budget
  • B.The ballot
  • C.The census

LessonPrint · D3.1.3-5 · Set 22 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Reading a Population Table

Set 22. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. 379,994 − 92,597 = 287,397; 560,247 − 379,994 = 180,253; so from 1850 to 1860. 2. The 1850 count missed some places whose records were lost. 3. Once every ten years. 4. Many came because gold was found in California in 1848.
  2. 2.1790
  3. 3.Whether the population rose steadily or in jumps
  4. 4.How many people were counted in one year
  5. 5.Why each person moved to where they live
  6. 6.The census

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