Subject Guides: *Statistics & Census Data: Historical census data

Guide Contents

Census Guides

Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
Includes the entire US Decennial Census history from 1790 to 2010, all annual updates from the American Community Survey, the Religious Congregations and Membership Study from 1980 to 2000, and selected election and carbon emissions data.

Users can customize, save, print, export and email maps and reports. The site is updated three times annually. Includes only state and county data through 1930. Includes tracts 1940 to present and block groups 1980 to present. Does not include STF 1 block level data.

Bureau of the Census catalog of publications, 1790-1972. (HA 207 .A198 1974)
Dubester's U.S. census bibliography with SuDocs class numbers and indexes (Bartle Library HA214 .C66 1996)
Covers 1790-1945
America census handbook (Bartle Library CS49 .K4 2001)
A general guide to the thousands of published census indexes currently available in print and online
Subject index to Current Population reports and other population report series (Bartle Library HA203.M67 1996)
Census catalog and guide. (Gov Docs C 3.163/3: yr; online 1949-1998)
Describes data products and publications from the Census Bureau, including geographic scope of the information.
A researcher's guide to the 1980 Census (Bartle Reference HA201 1980 .R43)
Population information in the twentieth century census volumes, 1900-1940 (Bartle Library HA214 .S382 1985)
State census records (Bartle Reference HA214 .L34 1992)
New York State censuses & substitutes (Bartle Reference HA545 .D65 2005)

Decennial Census Reports

Census of Population and Housing
Links to reports and data from 1790 to 2010.
Measuring American: The Decennial Censuses from 1790 to 2000
History of the Census and background and questions asked for each decennial census.

Selected Special Reports

Other Key Sources

In addition to the sources listed below, the Government Documents collection in the Bartle Library has a wide array of older Census records which can be found using the library catalog.

Peruse the census guides above to help locate specific reports, then check the library catalog to see if BU owns it.

Statistical Abstract of the United States This link opens in a new window
An authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic conditions of the United States. Can download the statistics files as Excel files. Coverage: 1878-ongoing

Bartle HA206 .S8 for print.
Historical Statistics of the United States This link opens in a new window
Includes over 12,500 time series and all descriptive text. Contains the complete Historical Statistics of the United States, 1975. Standard source for quantitative data of American history starting in Colonial times

Tab-delimited text for all tables, ready to download for manipulation and statistical analysis. Coverage: Colonial - 1970.