United States Census Data Resources

Neighborhood Change Database: 1970-2010 tract data (Geolytics, Inc.)
The NCDB contains 1970, 1980, 1990, and 2000 Long Form data and the 2010 Summary File 1 and 2010 American Community Survey (ACS) data with details such as: population, household, and housing characteristics, income, poverty status, education level, employment, housing costs, immigration, and other variables.

CDs with census data from 1960-2010 are available in Lamont Library, Research Services, Level B. There are also historical print volumes. Contact govdocs@fas.harvard.edu with questions.

Historical Statistics of the United States (Harvard Database)
(Also available at many libraries in print.)
Presents the U.S. in statistics from Colonial times to the present. Included are statistics on U.S. population, including characteristics, vital statistics, internal and international migration. Statistics on work and welfare, economic structure and performance, economic sectors, and governance and international relations. Tables may be downloaded for use in spreadsheets and other applications.

Social Explorer (Harvard Database)
Presents current and historical census data for the United States through the use of interactive maps and reports. Currently provides access to data from 1790 to present at census tract, county, state and national level.

National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS)
Provides aggregate census data and GIS-compatible boundary files for the United States beginning in 1790.

Census Bureau
Provides information on the decennial censuses by the decade.

Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
One of the world’s oldest and largest social science data archives; based at the University of Michigan. Browse by topic:  Census Enumerations: Historical and Contemporary Population Characteristics.

Ancestry Library Edition (Harvard Database)
Extensive collection of vital records, directories, censuses, military records, and other material from the United States and Canada, intended for genealogical research. Includes fully-indexed, full-text images of United States federal census returns, 1790-1940.

Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS-USA)
The Minnesota Population Center at the University of Minnesota collects, preserves and harmonizes U.S. census microdata and provides easy access to this data with enhanced documentation. Data includes decennial censuses from 1790 to 2010 and American Community Surveys (ACS) from 2000 to the present.