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Research Librarian
About the Census
As required by law, every 10 years the federal government conducts a count of U.S. residents. The first Census was conducted in 1790 and has happened every 10 years since. Except for individually identifiable information collected in the last 70 years, most Census materials are freely available to the public.
The Census is more than just decennial population counts. The Census provides a wealth of information about income, race, education, immigration, housing, and much more for historians, demographers, students, and researchers. The Census also conducts regular surveys on agriculture, economics, business, and governments.
Statistical Compendia
- Historical Statistics of the United States This link opens in a new windowQuantitative data describing aspects of US history including population, work and welfare, economic structure and performance, economic sectors, and governance and international relations. Also includes full-text introductory essays that place the statistical data in context. Users can download tables in Excel or CSV format and create custom tables by merging columns from existing tables. Also available in print.
Reference About the Census
Encyclopedia of the United States CensusCall Number: HA37.U55 E53 2000Publication Date: 2000(Updated 2012 edition is available at Carleton Reference)
Census Atlas of the United States: Census 2000 Special Reportse-resource and also available in print in the Rolvaag Reference Room: Atlas Case G1201 .E2 U5 2007
Online Census - from the Census Bureau
There are many sources for Census documents online. Here are some important links.
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Census websiteThis is the Census Bureau homepage. Links to topical pages (i.e. Ancestry, Congressional Apportionment), data products, and the 2010 Census.
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American FactFinderThe online portal to current Decennial Census, American Community Survey, and other Census products. Build your own advanced query. Locate data on a particular geography.
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American Community SurveyThe ACS replaced the long form that accompanied the Decennial Census. This is a rolling survey asking a sample of the population detailed questions. The best entry to ACS data is through American FactFinder, but full datasets are available here.
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Censuses: 1790 - 2010Summary reports from every Decennial Census. Available as PDF files.
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Census Population Division Working PapersRich research reports published by the Census, examining specific topics like immigration or poverty as reflected in Census data.
Online Census - other providers
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Historical Census BrowserState and county topics for individual census years, plus generate maps.
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Social ExplorerQuick and easy access to current and historical U.S. census data and demographic information.
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NHGIS"The National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS) provides, free of charge, aggregate census data and GIS-compatible boundary files for the United States between 1790 and 2012."
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IPUMS - Minnesota Population CenterIntegrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) -- Census microdata.
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ICPSR - Census dataThis social science data repository provides access to many Census files.
Locating the Census in print
The library has documents published from every decennial Census since 1790. These take up many shelves in the government documents section of the library!
Why look at the print documents? One, you may want to browse as a way to make sure you know what was covered. Two, historical information is not always digitized or available online, particularly for smaller geographies.
It is helpful to just browse the stacks and acquaint yourself with what Census materials we have in the library. Our Census volumes are in the Government Documents area of the library. The Su Doc (call) numbers for Census begin with I (Department of Interior) for 1790-1900 and C (Commerce) for 1910-forward.
You can also search Catalyst for Census documents we have in print or linked from the catalog.