History

Current Director

Steve H. Murdock (2008 – present): Dr. Murdock studied sociology at North Dakota State University before going on to earn a master’s degree and doctorate in the subject from the University of Kentucky in 1975. He taught at North Dakota State before joining the faculty at Texas A&M University in 1977.

The first official state demographer of Texas, Dr. Murdock headed the Texas State Data Center and Texas Population Estimates and Projections Program for more than 25 years taking a leadership role in the state’s coordination activities in the 1980, 1990, and 2000 decennial censuses.

He joined the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2004. In 2007, he took a position at Rice University, specializing in applied demography, migration, rural sociology, and socioeconomic impact assessment.

Dr. Murdock is the author of 12 books and more than 150 articles and technical reports. He received a Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award from Texas A&M University, the Excellence in Research Award from the Rural Sociological Society and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Department of Sociology at the University of Kentucky.

President George W. Bush nominated Steve H. Murdock for director of the U.S. Census Bureau on June 18, 2007, and the Senate confirmed him unanimously in December of that year. He officially became director of the Census Bureau on January 4, 2008.