Census Resources

Quick Start Guide: Resources for Finding Numeric Data and GIS Boundaries at NCSU

This is intended to be a guide to several starting points, not a comprehensive list of Census resources. 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 Services Librarians.

Census Year	Information (roll over )	Resource	Tables/Geos	Smallest Geography
1790-1960	Only source of systematic historic data	Historical Census Browser	data	country
1970	Only source of 1970 data Easy to use Single source of data and boundaries	CensusCD 1970 (user guide)	both	tract
	Boundaries normalized to 2000 to ease time series comparisons Single source of data and boundaries	CensusCD Neighborhood Change Database	both	tract
1980	Only source of 1980 data Easy to use Single source of data and boundaries	CensusCD 1980 (user guide)	both	block group
	Boundaries normalized to 2000 to ease time series comparisons Single source of data and boundaries	CensusCD Neighborhood Change Database	both	tract
1990	U.S. Census Bureau database Comphrehensive data and documentation	American Factfinder	data	block group
	Easy to use Single source of data and boundaries 100% data (geographies depend on disc)	CensusCD Blocks [1990] (user guide)	both	block
	Easy to use Single source of data and boundaries Sample data	CensusCD+Maps [1990 Long Form] (user guide)	both	block group
	Easily available Includes some basic 100% (STF1) variables	1990 NC Census boundaries on Geodata server	geographies; lmtd data	block group
	Boundaries normalized to 2000 to ease time series comparisons Single source of data and boundaries	CensusCD Neighborhood Change Database	both	tract
2000	U.S. Census Bureau database Comphrehensive data and documentation	American Factfinder	data	block group
	Easy to use Single source of data and boundaries 100% data (geographies depend on disc)	CensusCD 2000 Short Form (7 CDs) (user guide)	both	block group
	Easy to use Single source of data and boundaries 100% data (geographies depend on disc)	CensusCD 2000 Short Form Blocks (4 CDs) (user guide)	both	block (only)
	Easy to use Single source of data and boundaries Sample data	CensusCD 2000 Long Form SF3 (user guide)	both	block group
	Easily available Includes some basic 100% (STF1) variables	2000 NC Census boundaries on Geodata server	geographies; lmtd data	block
	U.S. Census Bureau database Comphrehensive data and documentation	Census of Population and Housing Data Engine (2000)	data	block
	Boundaries normalized to 2000 to ease time series comparisons Single source of data and boundaries	CensusCD Neighborhood Change Database	both	tract

For more information, see Numeric Data and GIS Data.

Other Resources:

• In-depth background information - NCSU Libraries' Population Census Guide, includes year by year explanatory material.
• More historical numeric data in tabular format - the Census Bureau provides various years and geographic levels. (Some are only available in PDF format.)
• Other years' GIS boundary files - The Minnesota Population Center at the University of Minnesota has begun the National Historical Geographical Information System project.
  • The project eventually hopes to provide free access to all historical Census [numeric] data and [GIS] boundaries from 1790-2000.
  • Available geographies vary with the project's progress and by subject and year.
  • This is a beta site and users may encounter bugs. Coverage is not yet complete, either by year or geography.
• Selected Decennial Census Terminology

Resources for Projected Data (future years):

• North Carolina - State Demographer's population projections in the LINC database, variable #5001 (county level and above only).
• State to State comparisons - U.S. Census Bureau's population projections, 2030/2040.
• Projections with GIS boundaries and Consumer Expenditure Survey data - CensusCD estimates, projections, consumer expenditures, and profiles, 2004/2009.

For more information or assistance, contact:

• Jeff Essic, Data Services Librarian - GIS Data
  (919) 515-5698
• Michele Hayslett, Librarian for Data Services and Government Information
  (919) 513-4433

Return to Numeric Data Resources