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Encyclopedia of the U.S. CensusThe history, politics, content, procedures, and uses of the decennial census of the American population. See the entry under "History of Decennial Censuses". Includes bibliography for each census through 2010.
Raw Data Files
These are computer files intended to be loaded into statistical software for analysis and creating your own tables. In some cases these files can be used with spreadsheet software as well.
Population Schedules
1990 population schedules have not yet been released.
Census population schedules (or "name schedules" or "manuscript census") are copies of the original questionnaires collected during each decennial census. They list the individual names and family information of the people enumerated. Unlike the statistics published soon after the census, the population schedules remain confidential for 72 years. 1930 is the most recent population schedule available.
- Ancestry.comonline access to population schedules, search by name, place, and other characteristics
Contact
Need help? Use the Ask-A-Librarian reference service, or call us at (847) 491-7656, during Research Assistance Desk hours.
To consult with a government information specialist by appointment, contact govinfo@northwestern.edu
About the 1990 Census
Highlights of the 1990 Census
- 21st decennial census
- US population: 248,709,873
- Illinois population: 11,430,602
Questions asked
Information obtained from all persons: age; sex; color or race; if American Indian, name of tribe; relationship to head of family or household; marital status
Information obtained from a sample of the population: ancestry/ethnic origin; ill or disabled; school attendance; educational attainment; place of birth; citizenship; if foreign born, year of immigration; language; Spanish origin or descent; number of children ever born to mother; veteran status; length of service; in service date; place of residence in previous year; year moved to present residence; industry; occupation; class of worker; employment status; duration of unemployment; year last worked; weeks worked in preceding year; hours worked in preceding week; value of real estate; income; place of work; means of transportation to work
For more information:
Statistics of the 1990 Census
Multi-year census compilations (compare across years): These sources tend to include statistics for large geographic areas (e.g. states), but can be very useful when comparing statistics over time.
Digitized Data Source
- National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS)
Hosted at the University of Minnesota, provides aggregate census data and GIS-compatible boundary files for the United States between 1790 and 2014. Open access to data, although users must create an account. - Social Explorer - subscription database, access to NU-affiliated users only.
Includes Census data 1790-present along with other datasets on health, crime, and other topics. US emphasis but other national data is also available. Data can be mapped or data tables extracted.
Key publications:
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Census of Population: |
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General Population Characteristics |
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Social and Economic Characteristics |
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The Foreign-Born Population in the United States |
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Ancestry of the Population in the United States |
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Persons of Hispanic Origin in the United States |
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Education in the United States |
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Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States |
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Characteristics of the Black Population |
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Characteristics of American Indians by Tribe and Language (2 pts) |
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Detailed Occupation and Other Characteristics From the EEO File for the United States |
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Detailed Ancestry Groups for States |
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Census of Population and Housing: |
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Summary Population and Housing Characteristics |
n/a (except for Virgin Islands) |
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Population and Housing Unit Counts |
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Population and Housing Characteristics for Census Tracts and Block Numbering Areas |
n/a (except for Virgin Islands) |
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Population and Housing Characteristics for Congressional Districts of the 103rd Congress |
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Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics |
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Census of Housing: |
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General Housing Characteristics |
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Detailed Housing Characteristics |
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Metropolitan Housing Characteristics |
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Residential Finance |
Original electronic files released:
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Online access |
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Summary Tape Files |
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Public Law 94-171 data. |
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STF1A |
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STF1B |
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STF1C |
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STF 1D |
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STF 3A |
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STF 3B |
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STF 3C |
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STF 3D |
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Subject Summary Tape Files (SSTFs) |
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SSTF 1: Foreign Born Population of the United States |
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SSTF 2: Ancestry of the population in the United States |
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SSTF 3: Persons of Hispanic Origins in the United States |
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SSTF 4: Characteristics of adults with work disabilities, mobility limitations, or self-care limitations |
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SSTF 5: Characteristics of the Asian and Pacific Islander population in the United States |
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SSTF 6: Education |
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SSTF 7: Metropolitan housing characteristics |
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SSTF 8: Housing of the elderly |
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SSTF 9: Housing characteristics of new units |
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SSTF 10: Housing characteristics of mobile homes |
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| SSTF 12: Employment Status, Work Experience, and Veteran Status Gov Info Computer Files C 3. 286: CD 90 SSTF 12 |
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SSTF 13: Characteristics of American Indians by tribe and language |
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SSTF 14: Occupation and industry : industry by occupation alphabetical index |
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SSTF 15: Geographic mobility in the United States |
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SSTF 16: Fertility |
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SSTF 17: Poverty areas in the United States |
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SSTF 18: Housing characteristics of condominium housing |
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SSTF 19: The older population of the United States |
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SSTF 20: Journey to work in the United States |
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SSTF 21: Characteristics of the Black population of the United States |
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SSTF 22: Earnings by Occupation and Education| |
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Special Tabulations |
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The Comprehensive housing affordability strategy (CHAS) database |
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Equal employment opportunity file |
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Special tabulation on aging |
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County-to-county migration flow files |
** Indicates that these files are available for download only. They cannot be used online.
Census Data at ICPSR
Northwestern University is a member of ICPSR. NU-affiliated users can create an ICPSR account and download data, codesbooks, etc.
ICPSR archives and disseminates census data acquired from the United States Census Bureau as well as files prepared by ICPSR and other principal investigators.The microdata comprise individual responses to census questions.
The Microdata are public-use samples randomly selected from all of data collected by a census. ICPSR has microdata from the censuses of 2000, 1990, 1980, 1970, 1960, 1950, 1940, and some earlier censuses, with sampling fractions ranging from 10 to 0.01 percent.
1990 Census Data at ICPSR
Summary Tape Files and Public Use Microsamples available for analysis.
iPUMS at the Minnesota Population Center
The Minnesota Population Center hosts historic U.S. Census data and makes it freely available to all. Census data from 1960 to 2010 has been harmonized to allow comparisons across time. Harmonized international census data also allows comparison across national boundaries. Online tools allow data extraction and limited data analysis. Online training modules are provided. Training videos for the online extraction tool are also available.