Primary Sources - History

The National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS) provides easy access to summary tables and time series of population, housing, agriculture, and economic data, along with GIS-compatible boundary files, for years from 1790 through the present and for all levels of U.S. census geography, including states, counties, tracts, and blocks.

When the first decennial census of the United States was taken in 1790, the new nation was lightly populated, containing only a handful of port cities with more than 10,000 persons. In the two centuries since then, the nation's population has grown many times over, expanded westward, and become far more urban. The spread of cities across the American landscape is one of the more compelling stories of demographic growth and change. This series of 22 maps graphically presents this story. Population data were compiled for all incorporated places in the United States (and minor civil divisions in New England) containing at least 10,000 persons in any decennial census. Maps were then created for each decennial year 1790 through 2000, showing locations and size classes of those cities. When compared, the maps provide a fascinating visual representation of growth of American cities through time and changes in their distribution across the country.

Social Explorer provides quick and easy access to current and historical demographic data. Easy-to-use online tools help users create custom maps and reports to visualize, explore and understand the patterns behind the numbers. Their latest version offers new ways to explore and present data from 1790 to the present.

Contains more than 37,000 annual time series of quantitative historical information covering virtually every quantifiable dimension of American history: population, work and welfare, economic structure and performance, governance, and international relations, all from the earliest times to the present.

The U.S. Census Bureau terminated the collection of data for the Statistical Compendia program effective October 1, 2011. The Statistical Compendia program is comprised of the Statistical Abstract of the United States and its supplemental products—the State and Metropolitan Area Data Book and the County and City Data Book. To access the most current data, please refer to the organizations cited in the source notes for each table of the Statistical Abstract.

This working paper presents decennial census data on population totals by race (1790-1990) and
by Hispanic origin (1970-1990) for large cities in the United States.

Annual reports that present detailed vital statistics data, including nationality, mortality, marriage and divorce. These reports are available for download.

Contains Decennial Census population, housing units, area measurements, density, population of the 100 largest cities, & foreign born population since 1850.