Research Guides: Geographic Information Systems (GIS): Census and Historical Data

Census Geography Data

Pre-2010 Census Cartographic Boundary Files
Files for all levels of census geography. Includes some boundary files for 1990 and 2000 as well.
Tiger: Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing system
The Census Bureau offers several file types for mapping census geographic data based on data found in our MAF/TIGER database.

Shape and Boundary Files

U.S. Census Bureau 2008 TIGER/Line Shapefiles
TIGER/Line®Shapefiles are spatial extracts from the Census Bureau's MAF/TIGER database, containing features such as roads, railroads, rivers, as well as legal and statistical geographic areas.
U.S. Census Bureau 2010 TIGER/Line Shapefiles
US Census Bureau Cartographic Boundary Files
Boundary files comprised of census data.
National Atlas Boundry and Shape Files
A small-scale map of North America was made using a set of basic map information provided by national atlas programs in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Now the framework raw data that was used to produce this map is available from nationalatlas.gov.
University of Chicago Geospatial Census Information
Offers census data on community areas, census tracts, census blocks and block groups for the Chicago area.

Historical GIS Data

The Historical GIS Research Network
Major historical GIS websites from around the world

Social Explorer
- This link opens in a new window
Provides easy access to current and historical census data and demographic information.
Create maps and reports to illustrate, analyze, and understand demography and social change. Professional edition provided by UCLA

National Historic GIS Data Finder
United States, 1790 and 2011
Atlas of Historical County Boundaries
The Atlas describes and maps every change in the boundaries of all United States counties from the early 1600s to 2000. You can use interactive maps or download the shapefiles.
California Environmental Legacy Project
Includes administrative divisions, aquatic biology, cadastral, conservation planning, cultural geography, environmental hazards, physical geography, political districts, terrestrial biology, and transportation networks
DataPlace
Easy-to-use source of U.S. housing and demographic data from the census tract to the national level. Currently contains data from the 1990 and 2000 Censuses, as well as home mortgage, Section 8, and housing needs data. Create your own maps. Includes nice directory of other online data sources
Hypercities
a collaborative research and educational platform for traveling back in time to explore the historical layers of city spaces in an interactive, hypermedia environment
The Historical GIS Clearinghouse and Forum
Association of American Geographers
China Historical GIS Data Archive
A database of populated places and historical administrative units for the period of Chinese history between 221 BCE and 1911 CE
World-Historical DataVerse
Provides historical data on the human experience at the global level
Historical Census Data from University of Michigan
A general guide to understanding and finding historical demographic data produced by the U.S. Census Bureau.

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