Historical Statistics
Social Explorer is a licensed Gitenstein Library database. It provides contemporary and historical census data and demographic information. Includes data on crime, economics, elections, health, and religion. Some international data are included. A sophisticated web interface allows users to create maps and reports. With this tool it is possible to visually analyze and understand demography and social change through time.
The following links provide aggregate historical statistics. Also find information about the history of the U.S. census.
United States Census Bureau:
- Explore Census Data (derived from the decennial census)
- American Community Survey (derived from inter-census data)
- Selected Historical Decennial Census by Decade
- Historical Publications of the U.S. Census Bureau.
- Measuring America: The Decennial Censuses From 1790 to 2000 (2002) provides histories for each census dating back to 1790 with original instructions and questionnaires.
- The Statistical Abstract of the United States has been published since 1878. The final government-sponsored Statistical Abstract appeared in 2012. It contains tables on topics such as population, immigration, marital status, households, births and deaths, etc. Editions published annually from 2013 by ProQuest are available in print, Reference Collection (call # HA202 .A35).
Additional websites for historical statistics:
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation makes available historical statistics on its Uniform Crime Reporting website. The FBI is responsible for the publication of two important annual publications titled Crime in the United States and Hate Crime Statistics.
- InfoGuide: Historical Resources (Canada)
- National Historical Geographic Information System
Profiles of New Jersey by Call Number: Gitenstein Library E-BOOKISBN: 9781637001493Publication Date: 2022-06-30 (6th ed.)
Use the search box on the library's homepage to find historical statistics. Tip: Combine any topic with the term "statistics" in the subject field (e.g., see here). Get started with these titles:
Best bet:
The Historical Statistics of the United States: Earliest Times to the Present by Call Number: HA202 .H57 2006ISBN: 0521817919Publication Date: 2006-01-30Start here for U.S. topics!
Access the latest, Millennial ed. (2006) of Historical Statistics of the United States: Earliest Times to the Present online (search only) and in print, Reference Collection (call #HA202 .H57 2006). Search the online ed. to identify the relevant table(s). Then consult the printed ed. to retrieve the desired statistic(s). Access the previous ed., Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 (1975) from the website of the Federal Reserve Archive in two large PDF files (Parts 1 and 2). Access an even older ed., Historical Statistics of the United States, 1789-1945 (1949) from Census.gov as a single large PDF file.
Also great:
Datapedia of the United States by Call Number: HA202 .K87 2007ISBN: 9781598880830Publication Date: 2007-10-30"Presents historical statistics from 1776 to 2003. Based on Historical statistics of the United States from colonial times. Provides a profile of the United States with selected topics concerning social and economic areas. The data is presented in tables and graphs with extensive notes and definitions" (ALA's Guide to Reference).
Encyclopedia of the U. S. Census: From the Constitution to the American Community Survey by Call Number: HA37.U55 E53 2012ISBN: 9781608710256Publication Date: 2011-10-17"History, purposes and procedures of the decennial count, updated to include changes and issues associated with the 2010 Census, and use of the short-form questionnaire. Includes information about the American Community Survey and the 2010 release of the first ACS estimates for population in areas of all sizes. Index, bibliography" (ALA's Guide to Reference).
- Statistics Sourcesbibliography of statistical resources; also available in print, Reference Stacks (1st floor), call #: HA17 .S84
Use the search box on the library's homepage to find historical statistics. Get started with these titles:
International Historical Statistics - Africa, Asia & Oceania, 1750-2005 by Call Number: HA4675 .M55 2007ISBN: 9780230005150Publication Date: 2007-12-15
International Historical Statistics - Americas, 1750-2005 by Call Number: HA175 .M52 2007ISBN: 0230005160Publication Date: 2008-01-15"Tables are grouped in broad subject areas, and (when available) include figures for population, vital statistics, the labor force, agriculture, industry, external trade, transport and communication, prices, education, finances, and national accounts. Based on official publications" (ALA's Guide to Reference).- International Historical Statistics - Europe, 1750-2005 by Call Number: HA1107 .M5 2007ISBN: 0230005160Publication Date: 2008-01-15
- Statistics Sourcesbibliography of statistical resources; also available in print, Reference Stacks (1st floor), call #: HA17 .S84
Genealogy
Ancestry owns both fold3 and HeritageQuest. TCNJ affiliates can access HeritageQuest—an Ancestry.com alternative—from the State Library. See our JerseyClicks page for directions. The federal government releases census data pertaining to individuals 72 years after it is collected. This policy ensures privacy. The most recent decennial census for which personally identifiable information can therefore be obtained is 1950. The following genealogy and local history websites might also prove useful:
- Cyndi's List (of genealogy sites)
- Family Search (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
- Genealogy and Family History (Sue Malek, Librarian, Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno, NV)
- National Archives:
- Genealogy (homepage)
- Start Your Genealogy Research
- New Jersey specific:
- Genealogical Society of New Jersey (online access to the New Jersey State Censuses, 1855-1915)
- Jerseyana and Digital Jerseyana (New Jersey State Library)
- New Jersey Digital Highway (Rutgers and other institutions)
- New Jersey Environmental Digital Library (find old maps)
- New Jersey Historical Society (Genealogist's Guide)
- New Jersey State Archives (catalog)
- USGenWeb Project