Census Information
This guide will help you locate and use demographic information for the United States. There is also some coverage of foreign census materials.
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Core Census Resources
- Census Bureau This link opens in a new windowU.S. government census data grouped into categories such as people, business, geography, and others. Data files are available as well as prepared tables.
- Data.census.govData,census,gov is the major portal to census data from the most recent decennial censuses and the American Community Survey.
- Social Explorer This link opens in a new windowCreate maps and reports using current and historical census data and demographic information to better illustrate, analyze and understand demography and social change. This subscription is limited to three simultaneous users. Please logout (Sign out) when finished.
Census Tutorials
- Training Resources LibraryThe Census Bureau provides this Training Resources Library that contains a number of presentations that cover many of the products available from the Bureau.
- HELP! I'M AN ACCIDENTAL GOVERNMENT INFORMATION LIBRARIAN WEBINARSSelection of instructional sessions from the North Carolina Library Association's series of webinars for government documents librarians.
Additional Census Resources
A number of organizations and government agencies repackage census information in various ways. These are some examples.
- DemographicsNow
This link opens in a new windowDemographicsNow provides users with ready-to-use and customizable demographic data reports that include population, income, housing, race, age, education, businesses and retail sales, consumer expenditures and more. - Social Explorer This link opens in a new windowCreate maps and reports using current and historical census data and demographic information to better illustrate, analyze and understand demography and social change. This subscription is limited to three simultaneous users. Please logout (Sign out) when finished.
- STATS AmericaSTATS America is a service of the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. They collect data from federal and state sources, along with some commercial or private sources. The site provides state and county profiles. Tabs at the top allow you to click through multiple reports.
- The Missouri Census Data CenterAfter picking the geographic area you are interested in (Either state, county,minor civil division (MCD), census tract or census block group) you can choose to view one of a number of demographic reports, regional profiles , or a report from the 2007 Agricultural Census. You can also find data from the 1990 census here. 1990 data is not included in American FactFinder anymore.
- American Community Survey ProfilesThe Missouri Census Data Center (MCDC) also provides these reports based on the American Community Survey.
- Minnesota Population CenterLocated at the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Population Center disseminates demographic information to researchers worldwide. Resources at the Minnesota Population Center include Canadian and British as well as US census data. You can also find interview data and historical GIS boundary files at this site.
- Investigative Reporters and Editors Census ProjectThe Census.IRE.org site is a cooperative project of a number of journalists. Its mission is to make census data easier to obtain so that more time can be spent analyzing it.
- National Historical Geographic Information SystemThe National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS) provides, free of charge, aggregate census data and GIS-compatible boundary files for the United States between 1790 and 2011.