Census: Historical

Over 15,000 demographic and socio-economic data maps of the United States between 1790 and 2010 ... Social Explorer contains data from the first Census in 1790 to the present day. Using their data, the user can generate maps of population or specific demographic variables by location, as well as reports.

Suggested Citation. Hobbs, Frank and Nicole Stoops, U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Special Reports, Series CENSR-4, Demographic Trends in the 20th Century,
U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 2002.

... This integration took place during the 1950's, in order to ensure complete, unduplicated, comparable data for all of their components.

The Census Bureau has increasingly collected companies' data by mail and, for many small establishments, by using administrative records in lieu of questionnaires. The introduction of mechanical tabulation, electronic tabulation, and computers and the Internet increased the variety of data products available and how the information could be accessed.

... Despite this early effort, maps were painstakingly difficult to produce. It was not until the end of the 19th and early 20th century that the Census Bureau regularly published maps, beginning with the statistical atlases produced by Francis A. Walker and Henry Gannett. After Gannett's departure from the Census Bureau, development of atlases for the 1930 and later censuses languished.

The computer revolution of the mid-20th century revitalized interest in development and publication of maps at the Census Bureau. Cartography has since become increasingly important to the operations and planning for the decennial census, with census-takers using increasingly detailed maps to precisely locate housing units.

From J.D.B. DeBow's first regional map of the continental United States, to the development of the TIGER digital mapping system, to the new National Atlas, the Census Bureau has played an important role in the development of American cartography since the nineteenth century.

The Census Bureau also collected housing-related data as part of its economic censuses. In response to the post-World War I building boom, the Census Bureau began the census of construction industries; in 1950, the residential finance survey began to collect data on mortgage debt and the effectiveness of the residential finance system; and in 1973, collaboration between the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development resulted in the American Housing Survey.

The Census Bureau continued to collect data related to housing via the decennial census' long-form questionnaire until Census 2000, after which these inquiries were collected by the American Community Survey. Additionally, many other demographic and economic surveys collect data related to housing that are vital components in the compilation of data for key economic indicators and help us better understand the nation's economic well-being and demographic trends.

Though not complete over the full time span of this study, statistics are available on such diverse subjects as total numbers of newspapers and periodicals, total capital invested in manufacturing, total numbers of educational institutions, total number of churches, taxation by state, and land surface area in square miles.

Highlights of the NHGIS include:
•State and county aggregate data and boundary files (1790-2010)
•Census tract aggregate data and boundary files (1910-2010)
•Census data at all geographic summary levels, including census blocks (1970-2010)
•Boundary files for metropolitan statistical areas (1950-2010)
•Boundary files for all standard geographic summary levels (1990-2010)
•County Business Patterns data (1970-2003)
•SABINS aggregate data and boundary files for School Attendance Boundary Zones, covering each grade, K-12, for many school districts throughout the nation (2009-2010 academic year

Between 1970 and 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau used two questionnaires. Most households received a short-form questionnaire asking a minimum number of questions. A sample of households received a long-form questionnaire that included additional questions about the household. The 2010 Census had just one questionnaire consisting of ten questions.