Research Guides: GIS Data: Census & Demographic Data

Browse Data by Topic

IPUMS Terra
Global-scale data on human population characteristics, land use, land cover, climate and other environmental characteristics. Includes historical data sets.
World Historical Dataverse (Uni of Pittsburgh)
Project intended to the contribute to creation of a comprehensive set of data on social-scientific, health, and environmental data for the world as a whole and for its constituent regions and localities, for the past four or five centuries.

Data | U.S. Census Bureau (data.census.gov)
The U.S. Census Bureau is the primary generator of demographic statistics about the U.S. population. Access data from the decennial census, as well as the American Community Survey (ACS) and the American Housing Survey (AHS). Also includes business statistics, economic indicators, and foreign trade data.

Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
Data sets include the US Census from 1790-2010, the American Community Survey, the Religious Congregations and Membership Survey, etc.

National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS)
NHGIS provides aggregate census data and boundary files for the United States from 1790 to present.
Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) Data Commons
Data sets from the MAPC, a regional planning agency that serves people who live and work in the 101 cities and towns of Metro Boston.

Your Demographic Questions Answered (ArcGIS Blog)
This blog provides a list of some of the most common questions asked when mapping demographic data within ArcGIS.

National Neighborhood Data Archive (NaNDA)
Indicators in socioeconomic disadvantage and affluence, walkability, crime, land use, recreational centers, libraries, fast food, climate, healthcare, housing, public transit, and more. Measures are available at multiple levels of spatial scale, from county to census tract to block group.

Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America
Mapping Inequality introduces viewers to the records of the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation on a scale that is unprecedented. Here you can browse more than 150 interactive maps and thousands of “area descriptions.” These materials afford an extraordinary view of the contours of wealth and racial inequality in Depression-era American cities and insights into discriminatory policies and practices that so profoundly shaped cities that we feel their legacy to this day.
U.S. Dept of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) GIS Portal
Data portal includes geospatial data sets, web-based mapping tools, and APIS from U.S. HUD.

NCES EDGE Open Data
Geospatial data portal from the National Center for Education Statistics. Includes U.S. school locations, district boundaries, and more.

Reference Solutions This link opens in a new window
Current and historical directories of U.S. businesses and consumers. Search businesses by company name, geographic area, business type, SIC code, revenue, location, number of employees and more. Data may be exported to Excel and mapped. Coverage from 2003 - present. Updated monthly. Please note that Brandeis access to this resource will end on January 31, 2025. More information.