Historical Decennial Census Data

Bibliographies

Census Index [http://library.osu.edu/sites/reference/govdocs/census/aboutci.htm]. Sherry Engle, et al., Ohio State University, 2003.

Population and housing inquiries in U.S. decennial censuses, 1790-1970. United States. Bureau of the Census. [Washington] U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Social and Economic Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census [1973]. 179 p. (Census Bureau Working Paper No. 39) C 3.229: 39

Population information in nineteenth century census volumes by Suzanne Schulze. Phoenix, AZ : Oryx Press, 1983. 446 p.

Population information in twentieth century census volumes, 1900-1940 by Suzanne Schulze. Phoenix, AZ : Oryx Press, 1985. 274 p.

Population information in twentieth century census volumes, 1950-1980 by Suzanne Schulze. Phoenix, Ariz. : Oryx Press, 1988. 317 p.

Bureau of the Census catalog of publications, 1790-1972. United States. Bureau of the Census. Washington : U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Social and Economic Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census : for sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1974. 591 p.

Bureau of the Census catalog, 1964-84. United States. Bureau of the Census. [Washington, For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. Govt. Print. Off.]

Census catalog and guide, 1985- United States Bureau of the Census. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census : For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O. Electronic Access: Online version: http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/catalogs.html

American Statistics Index. 1973- Washington, Congressional Information Service. Incorporated into Statistical Universe. Electronic Access: http://web.lexis-nexis.com/statuniv/.

Reprints of Census Data

Bibliography and reel index : a guide to the microfilm edition of United States decennial census publications, 1790-1970. Woodbridge, Conn.: Research Publications, 1975.

Norman Ross Publishing [http://www.rosspub.com/]

American Statistics Index (Lexis Nexis Academic Solutions) [http://www.lexisnexis.com/academic/default2.asp]

Geolytics. [http://www.geolytics.com/]

Subject Coverage

Population and Housing Inquiries in the U.S. Decennial Censuses, 1790-2000 (XLS Format/UMich)
PDF Format

Population and housing inquiries in U.S. decennial censuses, 1790-1970. United States. Bureau of the Census. [Washington] U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Social and Economic Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census [1973]. 179 p. (Census Bureau Working Paper No. 39)

Population information in nineteenth century census volumes by Suzanne Schulze. Phoenix, AZ : Oryx Press, 1983. 446 p.

Population information in twentieth century census volumes, 1900-1940 by Suzanne Schulze. Phoenix, AZ : Oryx Press, 1985. 274 p.

Population information in twentieth century census volumes, 1950-1980 by Suzanne Schulze. Phoenix, Ariz. : Oryx Press, 1988. 317 p.

Historical Census Publications and Their Geographic Coverage

Compendiums

• County and City Data Book, 1988 and 1994 (UVa)
  • Summary demographic and vital statistics; employment, education, government, housing, production and weather data
  • For states, counties, and all cities of 25,000+
  • Statistics are a compilation from various sources, including the Census
  • To choose multiple geographic areas, click on the first area with a mouse; press the control key and click on the next area
  • The output may be sorted geographically or by value of the variable
  • The 2000 edition is in pdf format on the Census Bureau's website as http://www.census.gov/statab/www/ccdb.html

• County Population Estimates (Census Bureau)
  • Estimates of total population by county each year since 1970
  • Data in compressed format for downloading

• Current Population Reports and Other Population Reports Index (Ohio State)
  • Annotated list of current population reports since 1947
  • Arranged by series (e.g. P-20, P-23, etc.) with title and series number
  • Also arranged by subject with series name and number
  • Includes hot links to those on the web

• Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 (UMich Only)
  • Tables are time series on population, prices, foreign trade, government budgets, roughly 1789-1970
  • Population data includes age, race, sex, immigration, fertility, and urban/rural residence
  • Most tables are national in scope
  • Excellent notes indicate when the statistic was first taken and cite sources
  • Also available in pdf format from the Census Bureau
  • Companion volume to Statistical Abstract of the United States
  • Instructions for Using on CITRIX

• Selected Historical Census Data (Census Bureau)

• Statistical Abstract of the United States
  • Compendium of government and non-government statistics, primarily on the national and state levels
  • Population and vital statistics, health, economics, education, manufacturing, natural resources, transportation, and U.S. Industrial Outlook (production and foreign trade by four-digit SIC for past six years)
  • Full text available in Adobe Acrobat format
  • State rankings and state/county profiles in HTML format
  • Statistical Universe (Umich Only) provides XLS tables in its Power Tables section
  • The full text of Statistical Abstract is available in most University of Michigan campus libraries as HA 202

Census of Population and Housing: Historical, 1790-1980

• Census: 1980 (U.Mo.)
  • Basic tables compare 1980 and 1990 data for states, counties, and incorporated places
  • Includes race, large age groups, income and poverty, housing value and rent, educational attainment, labor force, and year home built
  • Use the Basic Trends Report on the main web page

• Census CD: 1970
  • Third Count (sample) data from the national to the census tract level for the entire nation
  • Data can be extracted in a variety of formats
  • Thematic maps which may be modified and used with separate boundary files
  • Commercial CD-ROM by Geolytics comes with strict copyright warnings against for-profit use or mounting extracted data/maps to the web
  • Documents Center Computer No. 3; Call number: Do 163

• Census Data, 1790-1960
  • Census data for states and counties retrievable through a user-friendly forms interface
  • Earliest censuses include total population, age, sex, free or slave
  • Beginning 1840 additional detail for occupation, education, churches, mortality, and wealth available
  • National, state, and county statistics
  • Sponsored by ICPSR

• Census Data (Census Bureau)
  • Census of Housing
    • Summary state statistics on various housing elements (number of units, telephones, sewage)
    • Covers years 1900-1990 as applicable
  • Population Data, 1790-1990
    • Population and housing unit counts for the U.S. and states, 1790-1990
  • Population of the 100 Largest Cities,: 1790 to 1990 (Census Bureau)
    • Cities ranked by population size, beginning with 24 urban areas in 1790 to 100 in 1990

• Census Data/Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research
  • Raw on-line data for ftp, abstracts, and/or documentation, 1790-1990
  • Files are extensive and require statistical packages for manipulation

• Historical Statistics on the Foreign Born Population of the United States (Census Bureau)
  • Resident foreign born population, 1850-1990
  • Tables include country of birth, mother tongue, race, age and sex at a national level
  • Nativity data (foreign v. native born) for metropolitan areas, counties, and 50 large urban areas

• National Historical Geographic Information System (UMinn)
  • Extraction system for Census data and geographic boundary files from the national to census tract level
  • Will ultimately cover 1790-2000 and include non-published files, including pre-1940 tract data and summary files only available in magnetic tape
  • As of January 7, 2005 has a searchable interface for 1990 Summary Files 1-4
  • From the main screen, choose GET DATA, register for free, choose data file, choose topic, and then follow instructions for choosing race, geography and specific table
  • Extract shown in HTML format; full table available for download in ASCII, SAS, SPSS formats

• Public Use Microdata Samples
  • I-PUMS (Univ. Minn.)
    • Public Use Microdata Samples of the Decennial Census, 1850-1990
    • Data downloaded in compressed format
    • Recoding permits users to compare various years
    • E-mail assistance provided

  • PUMS via Public Data Queries
    • Beta test permits free manipulation of the 1990 and 1980 1% and 5% samples as well as selected historical data
    • VERY fast search engine
    • Documents Center's instructions for access and sample searches
  • Public Use Microdata Samples via University of Michigan (UMich Only)
    • Full range of population and housing data items based on the 5% sample
    • States covered: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin
    • Uses the SDA software developed at UC-Berkeley, which provides a fairly easy interface
    • The Library's Numeric Data Services has also issued a guide
    • Sample Search

  • PUMS Codebook (ICPSR)
    • PUMS codebook necessary for searching both the CIESIN and PDQ data bases
    • Data dictionary and appendices available in compressed and uncompressed format

  • PUMS CD-ROM Technical Documentation
    • Excerpts of the technical documentation from the 5% sample CD-ROM
    • Includes hot-linked guide to using the QuickTab software
    • Several coding lists (ancestry, place of birth, industry)
    • List of Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAS) for all 50 states and District of Columbia with PUMA number, place/county/tract, and total population

• School District Data Book (Oregon State University)
  • Data for each school district in U.S. includes basic population and housing data, school finances, pupil/teacher ratios
  • Identify state and district; data for districts may be compared

• State of the Cities
  • Central city and metropolitan area data for over 300 areas in the U.S.
  • 1970, 1980 and 1990 Census data includes population, housing, occupation, income, education, poverty, race, and family characteristics
  • JOBS BY PLACE OF WORK provides employment within central city v. suburbs for MSAs by job class, occupation and industry [N.B. data difficult to find elsewhere]
  • Labor force and unemployment data since 1990
  • Central city and metropolitan area data from County Business Patterns for 4-digit SIC industries
  • Choose file, then area, and then data table

Directories of Other Census Online Sources

• Data on the Net (UC-San Diego)
  • Searchable and browsable data base of approximately 800 numeric data sites, data archives, catalogs, and commercial vendor web sites
  • All entries are annotated and provide direct links to the web site

• State Data Centers
  • List of state organizations distributing statistical data in conjunction with the U.S. Census Bureau
  • Web sites vary but may include maps, census updates, and state government information sources, such as statistical abstracts

Tools

• How to Export a Table from a PDF File into an Excel Spreadsheet (McGill University)
  • Detailed instructions with clear, illustrated examples
  • Requires Adobe Acrobat 5.0 rather than the Acrobat Reader

Grace York, Coordinator, Documents Center
University of Michigan Library
Send comments and suggestions to govdocs@umich.edu

http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/cenhis.html

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