Library Guides: Census of the United States: Census Data Sets

Census of Population & Housing

ICPSR's Browse by Topic [Topic Classifications: Census Enumerations: Historical and Contemporary Population Characteristics.]
Collections of data sets from the US population and housing censuses from 1790 to present. Penn State users can create an account using their Penn State ID.
IPUMS USA
Contains historic and current census data including: microdata files, aggregated data files from census volumes, normalized data. This does not include the data from the individual record files.
Direct File Access: Census 2010 datasets
2010 files from the Census Bureau
Direct File Access: Census 2000 dataset
2000 files from the Census Bureau
Direct File Access: 1990 Census CD-ROM disc
2000 files from the Census Bureau
Direct File Access: Census 1980 datasets
1980 date files from the Census Bureau

Geolytics Time Series Package

Neighborhood change database [electronic resource] : NCDB
Contains nationwide tract-level data from the 1970, 1980, 1990, and 2000 decennial censuses. Combines U.S. Census Bureau data into one product with variables and tract boundaries that are consistently defined across census years.
Neighborhood change database (NCDB) 2010 [electronic resource] : tract data for 1970-80-90-00-10.
Contains nation-wide tract-level data from the 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2010 decennial censuses. Combines U.S. Bureau of the Census data into one product with variables and tract boundaries that are consistently defined across census years.
CensusCD 1970 [electronic resource]
Numeric data and mapping software. Summary: Dataset includes details about the population and housing of the United States, including demographic information down to the tract level from the 1970 U.S. Census long form. Source of data is from the Fourth Count Population Summary Tape and Fourth Count Housing Summary Tape from the U.S. Census Bureau.
CensusCD 1980 [electronic resource]
CensusCD 1990 [electronic resource] : long form
Dataset includes details about the population and housing of the United States, including demographic information down to the neighborhood level (block groups) from the 1990 U.S. Census long form (STF3 A, B, C, and D).
CensusCD 2000 [electronic resource] : short form
Contains complete Census 2000 short form data, along with 2000 map boundaries, 8 levels of geography: state, county, tract, block group, place, MCD/CCD, 106th Congressional district and ZCTA (Zip Code Tabulation Areas).
CensusCD 2000 [electronic resource] : long form
CensusCD 1980 in 2000 geographies [electronic resource].
Allows users to access US Census data from 1980 and easily compare it with the 2000 Census data. It is the first and only source of Census data from 1980 that is expressed at all of the 2000 Long Form geographies.
CensusCD 1990 in 2000 geographies [electronic resource]
Contains the 1990 Long Form (STF-3) dataset expressed at all of the 2000 Long Form geographies. Includes detailed demographic data (not statistics) about topics such as population, household structure, income, poverty, education level, employment, housing costs, immigration, and other variables.
CensusCD 1990 long form in 2010 boundaries [electronic resource].
Allows users to access US Census data from 1990 and easily compare it with the 2010 Census data. Comparing census demographics from different census years can be a difficult task due to changing geographic boundaries. Normalized data assists researchers with comparisons of data across time by adjusting and weighting the census data to account for changes in geographies.
CensusCD 2000 long form in 2010 boundaries [electronic resource].
Allows users to access US Census data from 2000 and easily compare it with the 2010 Census data. Comparing census demographics from different census years can be a difficult task due to changing geographic boundaries.
Census 2010. Summary file 1 [electronic resource].
Provides access to "the 100-percent data counts with both demographic profiles, summary files of aggregated data, and reports. This has most of the same geographies as Redistricting but a much more robust data set."--Publisher website.
CensusCD 2000. Redistricting [electronic resource].
Contains Census 2000 redistricting data.
Census 2010. Redistricting [electronic resource].
Contains Census 2010 redistricting data.
ACS 2007-2011 [electronic resource].
American Community Survey data file from the 2007-2011 estimates. This file replace the long form survey from previous years.

Restricted Use Data

Penn States Federal Statistical Research Data Center (FSRDC)

This is vital resource for research in the fields of economics, demography, statistics, sociology, and health services. Providing access to data from the Census Bureau, National Center for Health Statistics, and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

You can explore the data and proposal process by going through the census site: Federal Statistical Research Data Centers

Ultimately, researchers will need to work with administrators from the Penn State RDC See site for contact information.

PSU RDC is a unit of the Social Science Research Institute, and jointly supported by the National Science Foundation, College of Liberal Arts, College of Agricultural Sciences, College of Health and Human Development, Eberly College of Science, Penn State Libraries, Population Research Institute, Social Science Research Institute, and Office of the Vice President for Research.