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Finding Current Data
Starting with the 1990 Census, the majority of the census data is posted online on the U.S. Census Bureau's site, Census.gov. The data is available not only for viewing but can also be manipulated. Accessing the data is done through the interfaces "American Community Survey" and "American FactFinder" listed below.
Other sites also have current Census data available and are also listed below.
- American Community Survey
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While the Decennial census provides a wealth of data, it's only conducted once every 10 years, making the information dated very quickly. The American Community Survey was created to fill that gap. A sample survey is conducted every year and the data can be searched and viewed. - ICPSR Direct
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Archive of over 500,000 files of data in the political and social sciences including census files. Files can be analyzed on the site or may be downloaded for further manipulation.
- Statistical Abstract of the U.S. (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
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- What’s included? The authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic conditions of the United States.
- What dates are covered? 1878 - Present.
Finding Historical Data
Data from the historical censuses was naturally released in print format. The sites listed below provide online access to these volumes. If the data you're looking for is not available on these sites, the Library has print copies of most of the volumes of all of the ceususes. To find them, do a keyword search in the catalog by the specific census, e.g. "1910 Census" or "Sixteenth Census".
- Statistical Abstract of the U.S. (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
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The Statistical Abstract of the United States is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic conditions of the United States. 1878- .
To search the earlier Statistical Abstracts, at the search screen click on the "select edition" box and choose any edition back to 1878. Tables in the older editions, currently in pdf format, are being added in xls format as well for more searching flexibility.
- Decennial Census Records (Census Bureau)
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Page on the Census Bureau website that provides guidance in locating earlier census records.