Census Archive

The Census is one of the primary ways the Burning Man organization tracks changes in population, behavior, and attitudes of event participants. The more we understand the makeup of Black Rock City and the diverse kinds of Burning Man experiences, the better equipped we are to meet the needs of the community and help Burning Man culture continue to flourish.

censuslogoData from the Census also helps the organization represent the Burner community in conversations with local, state and federal  agencies and elected officials. Census data is also used to understand the impact we have on the environment. Ultimately, we want to reduce our carbon footprint and make the event more sustainable. In the last few years, the Burning Man organization has rolled out several programs (like Burner Express) to encourage these efforts and the Census is one way that we track the year-to-year impact of those measures with information like the number of vehicles on the road, the number of people per vehicle and the increased use of the Burner Express.

More importantly, however, the Census is about YOU. This is your chance to have your presence in BRC counted and to learn about our community. It gives Burners the ability to understand just a bit more about the city that many of us call home. It is a chance for us all to learn who our neighbors might be, what brings them out to Burning Man, and what changes are taking place in BRC from one year to the next. Learn more about how the data is collected and analyzed or how to join the volunteer team, and then check out the Census results through the years:

2023 Census

2023 Population Analysis

2022 Census

2022 Population Analysis (PDF)

2019 Census

2019 Population Analysis (PDF)

2018 Census

2018 Population Analysis (PDF, 4MB)

2017 Census

2017 Summary Report (PDF, 8 MB)
2017 Population Analysis (PDF, 25 MB)

2016 Census

2016 AfterBurn Report (PDF, 20 MB)
2016 Annual Population Analysis (PDF, 49 MB)

2015 Census

2015 AfterBurn Report (PDF, 2.6 MB)
2015 Expanded Census Report
(PDF, 5.2 MB)

2014 Census

2013 Census

2012 Census

2011 Census

2010 Census

2009 Census

2008 Census

2006 Census

2007 Census

2005 Census

*No surveys were taken in the years 2002 through 2004

2001 Survey