U.S. Decennial Census: Census Compilations

Decade by decade information about how to access and use U.S. Census reports.

Starting Points

A Century of Population Growth, From the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790 - 1900
PDF courtesy of the Census Bureau. Also available in print and microfiche.

Census compilations gather and compare data from multiple years of the Census. They are a great place to look for trends and for comparing statistics over time. Compilations may contain graphs, charts, and maps.

A Century of Population Growth, State of Washington: 1860-1960
Print only. Held in Special Collections Pacific NW, call number 979.7 Sch52c
County Population Census Counts 1900 to 1990 - Census Bureau
U.S. population statistics broken down by state and county.
Demographic Trends in the 20th Century
PDF, covers years 1900-2000. Also available in print.
Historical Statistics of the States of the United States: Two Centuries of the Census, 1790-1990
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Access for all on-campus; login required from off-campus. Includes statistics for population, agriculture, manufacturing, and large cities. Also available in print.
Historical Statistics of the United States - Cambridge University
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Access for all on-campus; login required from off-campus. Millennial edition (5th ed.), expanded to five volumes. Download data tables on population, welfare, economics, politics and more. Includes statistics from colonial times to the early 2000s. Also available in print.
Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial times to 1970
PDF, 4th edition. Also available in print.
Negro population in the United States, 1790-1915
PDF. Also available in print at Suzzallo, call number HA205 .A33 1918a
Population Abstract of the United States
1790-1980. Includes national, state, county, and city data. Print only.
Population History of Western U.S. Cities and Towns, 1850-1990
Created to provide population statistics for cities smaller than 10,000 residents, although larger cities are also included. Print only.
Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990: from the Twenty-One Decennial Censuses
Print only. Available in Government Publications Reference, call number C 3.2:P 81/26
Selected Historical Decennial Census Population and Housing Counts
40 reports from the Census Bureau covering the years 1790-1990. Most of the reports are available for download in PDF format.
Statistical Abstract of the United States
Covers years 1790-2011. The Census Bureau published its final volume in 2012, at which point the series was continued by ProQuest (Access for all on-campus; login required from off-campus). Also available in print.
Statistical Abstract of the United States - Proquest
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Access for all on-campus; login required from off-campus. 1790-current. Also available in print.
Women's Occupations Through Seven Decades
Covers years 1870-1940. Available in the Suzzallo and Allen Libraries Stacks, call number HD6093 .A35 1947

Contact

Need help? Call the Government Publications, Maps, Microforms & Newspapers help desk at (206) 543-4164 during desk hours. You can also consult the Ask Us! reference service (24/7).