Census Information: Decennial Census - U.S.
About The Early Census
For detailed information on the evolution of the census see Measuring America: Decennial Censuses from 1790 to 2000 or access a detailed spreadsheet documenting Population and Housing Items on the General Census Schedules 1790-2000 from the University of Michigan Library.
1790 - 1900 Decennial
The decennial census has been taken since 1790. From 1790-1900, the Census Office was part of the Department of the Interior, and the Censuses were classed under "I." Starting with the 13th Decennial Census (1910), the Census Office (under the name Bureau of the Census) was moved to the Dept. of Commerce and classified under "C."
We also have the Censuses from 1790-1900 on microfilm in the main microfilm collection at: HA214 .A12. This set includes the main volumes that we own and also other reports and publications that we may or may not own. For information on what is on the reels, use the index at: Z7554 .U5 R47 1975.
1910 - 1950 Decennial
The 13th Decennial Census was the first census classified under the Department of Commerce. Earlier censuses were classified under the Department of the Interior. The 17th census (1950) was the last decennial census to have topics classed together. Starting with 1960, each topic has its own classification.
Finding US Documents: SuDoc Call Numbers
Government Documents are assigned call numbers based on the agency or department printing the information, called the SuDoc Classification (Superindent of Documents). It is a bit different from the regular Library of Congress or Dewey systems. Find the collection on the 4th Floor of the library. Can't find what you need? For assistance, ask at the Reference Desk on the 2nd floor or Ask Us Online
Core Resources
Portland State Library has both print and online access to historical decennial census data and tables.
Online access tools include:
- IPUMS USA digitized published census volumesThe Census Bureau regularly releases published books of tables within a few years of the enumeration of each census. These books usually contain regular data series tabulated for the entire country and usually all states, counties, and major cities. This site contains links to scans of all available published census volumes in PDF format.
- Historical Census Browser (University of Virginia)Created and maintained by the University of Virginia, Geospatial and Statistical Data Center, this tool enables you to examine & manipulate data in the censuses from 1790 to 1960.
- Social Explorer
This link opens in a new window
Social Explorer offers access to over 220 years of data from the US Census, with options for creating, saving and exporting maps and reports. Use this resource to explore 20th century data, including 1990 and previous. Social Explorer is an online research tool designed to access to current and historical census data and demographic information for the United States. Users can create save, and export maps and reports to illustrate and analyze demographic data. It contains over 18,000 maps, hundreds of profile reports, 40 billion data elements, 335,000 variables and 220 years of data. - PolicyMap
- This link opens in a new window
Provides mapping, data, and analytics tools on U.S. demographics, real estate, health, jobs, education, and more topics. Mapping allows for multiple layers and editable data ranges.
Find in the Library
Search the PSU Library catalog to find Census holdings in print or microform. Suggested terms include:
- decennial
- census
- population
- housing
Census publications are located on the 4th floor of the Library.
Search the Catalog
Results include both print books and ebooks, available from Portland State Library and other libraries.