Federal Depository Library Program
Penn State Libraries
Federal Depository Library since 1858
Historical Population Censuses
- National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS)The NHGIS contains aggregated census data and GIS boundary files for Census administrative areas between 1790 and 2011. Census tracts were initially only used to break down larger cities and over time were used for the entire United States. Census tracts are meant to contain on average about 4,000 residents and therefore their boundaries change over time.
- Social Explorer This link opens in a new windowcreate maps and reports from census statistics.
1790 to 1930: county, state, and national level decennial census data.
1940-2010: census tract, county, state, and national level decennial census data.
2006 to the present: American Community Survey
annual data down to county subdivision
census tracts, block groups: 5-year estimates
- IPUMS-CPSIntegrated Public Use Microdata Series; an integrated set of data spanning more than 50 years (1962-forward) of the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly U.S. household survey conducted jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- ICPSR : United States Census DataThe Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [ICPSR] archives and disseminates census data acquired from the United States Census Bureau as well as files prepared by ICPSR and other principal investigators. Both microdata and aggregate data constitute ICPSR's census holdings.
- North Atlantic Population Project [NAPP]Census microdata from Canada, Denmark, Great Britain, Germany, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the United States from 1703 to 1911.
Census Atlas of the United States by ISBN: 1587690101Publication Date: 2007-12-12The Census Atlas of the United States includes maps, figures, and text selected and organized to enhance public understanding of population and housing characteristics of the United States. The Census Atlas is a high-quality reference book, a systematic collection of information emphasizing spatial distribution and patterns from 1790 to 2000. The book takes advantage of the full range of topics from Census 2000, plus historical data that provide temporal context for Census 2000 population and housing results. This is the first general population and housing statistical atlas published by the U.S. Census Bureau since the 1920s. The complete list of authors of the Census Atlas of the United States are: Trudy A. Suchan, Marc J. Perry, James D. Fitzsimmons, Anika E. Juhn, Alexander M. Tait, and Cynthia A. Brewer. Federal/State/Municipal Government personnel, corporate and small business strategic planning executives, and all librarians will be interested in this statistical information showcased with key population growth maps and statistical graphs. Middle school students and above researching America's population by state, race, and other factors may find this resource helpful. Other products produced by the U.S. Department of Commerce can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/agency/189- Census Atlas of the United States [online]via the U.S. Census Bureau.
Dubester's U. S. Census Bibliography with Sudocs Class Numbers and Indexes by ISBN: 1563082950Publication Date: 1996Intended to increase the usefulness of Henry J. Dubester's standard bibliography of historical U.S. census publications (Catalog of United States Census Publications, 1790-1945), this work adds a section of supplemental entries (including SuDocs classification numbers) to the original bibliography and subject index. This section is followed by Dubester's original subject index, then by indexes not found in his original bibliography-title, series and report number, and SuDocs classification number.
- General censuses and vital statistics in the Americas [online via HathiTrust]an annotated bibliography of the historical censuses and current vital statistics of the 21 American Republics, the American Sections of the British Commonwealth of Nations, the American Colonies of Denmark, France, and the Netherlands, and the American Territories and Possessions of the United States; prepared under the supervision of Irene B. Taeuber.
Books and E-Books
- 200 years of U.S. census taking : population and housing questions, 1790-1990learn about this history of census questionnaires.
- 200 years of census taking [online]via HathiTrust.
- American Population Before the Federal Census of 1790 byoriginally published in 1932; contains statistical tables created using data from various, meticulously-referenced sources.
- A Century of population growth from the first census of the United States to the twelfth, 1790-1900analysis and tables illustrating the population changes in the U.S. between 1790 and 1900.
Demographic Trends in the 20th Century by Publication Date: 2002statistics Illustrating changes in the American population from 1900 to 2000.- Demographic Trends in the 20th Century [PDF]From the U.S. Census Bureau.
- Map Guide to the U. S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920 byPublication Date: 1987The county has always been used as the basic Federal census unit. This work shows all U.S. county boundaries from 1790 to 1920. On each of the nearly 400 maps the old county lines are superimposed over the modern ones to highlight the boundary changes at ten-year intervals. Also included are (1) a history of census growth; (2) the technical facts about each census; (3) a discussion of census accuracy; (4) an essay on available sources for each state's old county lines; and (5) a statement with each map indicating which county census lines exist and which are lost.
- Measuring America : the decennial censuses from 1790 to 2000 byPublication Date: 2002learn about the development of the questionnaires for the censuses as well as the individual histories of each of the U.S. censuses from 1790 to 2000.
- Measuring America [online]via the U.S. Census Bureau.
- Negroes in the United States byPublication Date: 2005statistics compiled from publications, schedules, and unpublished manuscript tables of he Census Bureau covering "racial experience under the conditions imposed by slavery and under the no less difficult conditions imposed by emancipation and freedom".
- Negro Population 1790-1915 [online]via HathiTrust.
- Population of states and counties of the United States : 1790 to 1990 from the twenty-one decennial censuses byPublication Date: 1996provides the populations of states and their counties according to the twenty-one decennial U.S. censuses conducted from 1790 to 1990.
- Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990via the U.S. Census Bureau.
