U. S. Population and Housing Census Data
Resources for Finding Tabular and GIS Census Data
This is intended to be a guide to starting points for finding Census data. There are many sources of Census numeric data in tabular format and of boundary files suitable for GIS. If you have questions, please contact the Data and Visualization Services Librarians.
Notes and Tips:
- NCSU Libraries' Population Census Guide of Printed Materials, includes detailed year by year explanatory material and describes Printed resources (as opposed to only digital, as shown in the table below).
- The links below take you to aggregated numeric Census data. If you are looking for images and names from the actual Census documents of 1790-1940, go to HeritageQuest.
- Looking for Income data? Income is a very common data search, and the smallest geography the Census reports it to is the block group level.
Recommended Comprehensive Historic and Current Census Data Sources
| Online Resource Name and Link |
Access |
Census Years |
What's Available? | Smallest Geography | Relative Ease of Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Explorer | Free for NCSU Pricing |
1790-Present | Download Data, Online Maps, Custom Reports | Blocks | Easy |
| IPUMS / National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS) | Public/Free | 1790-Present | Download Data and GIS shapefiles | Blocks | Moderate |
| Data.Census.gov | Public/Free | 2010-Present | Download Data, Online Maps, Custom Profiles | Blocks | Easy |
| TIGER/Line Geographic Data | Public/Free | 1990-Present | GIS shapefiles, geodatabases, web services | Blocks | Easy |
Pre-Compiled Datasets for GIS
These datasets will have the geographic boundary files and data tables with a limited set of variables already joined.
| Online Resource Name and Link |
Access |
Census Years |
What's Available? | Smallest Geography | Relative Ease of Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TIGER/Line with Selected Demographic and Economic Data | Public/Free | 2006/2010-Present | Download GIS datasets and data tables | Blocks | Easy |
| ArcGIS.com Connect to "Living Atlas" Feature Layers or download "Authoritative" Layer Packages. |
Public/Free | Varies | Download GIS datasets, web mapping services | Varies | Moderate |
| NC OneMap Data for North Carolina only |
Public/Free | 1970-Present | Download GIS datasets, web mapping services | Blocks | Easy |
Also, check your local GIS website. For example, Wake County provides pre-compiled Census data for download from their site.
Population Projections / Forecasts
| Online Resource Name and Link |
Access |
Projection Years |
What's Available? | Geographies | Relative Ease of Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ArcGIS Online Business Analyst (Requires an ArcGIS Online account) |
NCSU Only | 5 Years Out | Business and Demographic Reports for selected locations | Block Group | Moderate |
| North Carolina Data Center, LINC | Public/Free | 20 Years Out | Download Data, Maps | NC - State and Counties | Easy |
| Woods and Poole | NCSU Only | > 20 Years Out | DVDs with spreadsheet files | US, State, Region, County, Metro, Micro areas | Easy |
| US Census Bureau | Public/Free | > 40 Years Out | Download Data | US only | Easy |
Normalized Data
Census data for one decennial census, normalized by the geography boundaries of another census. For example, 2000 Census data in 2010 boundaries. Used to compare and study demographic changes over time.
| Online Resource Name and Link |
Access |
Normalization Years |
What's Available? | Smallest Geography | Relative Ease of Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NHGIS Time Series tables | Public/Free | 1990 and 2000 block data (short form) to 2010 geography (Additional tables are under development) | Data Download, Documentation | Blocks | Moderate |
| Social Explorer Comparability Data | Free for NCSU | 2000 tract data to 2010 geography | Data tables download | Tracts | Easy |
| Geolytics Normalized Long Form Data in 2010 Boundaries | NCSU Only, Online | 1980, 1990, 2000 in 2010 geography | Data Extraction, GIS Shapefiles | Block Groups | Moderate |
| Geolytics Neighborhood Change Database | NCSU Only, Online | 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, normalized to 2000 tract boundaries | Data Extraction, GIS Shapefiles | Tracts | Moderate |
| Longitudinal Tract Data Base (LTDB) from Brown University - Project Website LTDB GIS Geodatabase - Tables and tracts joined, provided by Philip McDaniel, UNC GIS Librarian. |
Public/Free | 1970-2010 | Data Download, GIS Geodatabase | Tracts |