Bennett, C. "Racial categories used in the decennial censuses, 1790 to the present." Government Information Quarterly, Volume 17, Number 2, April 2000 , pp. 161-180(20).

View all datasets by subject

Use the databases below to help you find demographic, social and economic data. Note: Some databases require RU Login from off-campus.

Explore Census Data

Search Census 2000 and 2010 data, as well as Business and Economic Census Data. Contains numerous thematic portals and reports.

Social Explorer provides convenient access to several major sources of demographic data: the U.S. Decennial Census of population and housing, the American Community Survey, and data on religion from InfoGroup and the Religious Congregations and Membership Study.  Social Explorer's strength is its interactive mapping tool that allows data to be easily visualized, as well as the easy creation of data extracts.

Historical Statistics of the United States is a standard source for data on all aspects of American history. The Millennial Edition is divided into five sections broadly covering: population, work and welfare, economic structure and performance, economic sectors, and governance and international relations. Covers colonial period to the present day.

Resource Center for Minority Data is a collection of datasets from ICPSR having to do with racial minorities. Users can browse studies by topic, or search for particular variables. Users must create a free account before downloading datasets.

(now Proquest) Statistical Insight enables easy access to statistics produced by the U.S. government, major international and intergovernmental organizations, professional and trade organizations, commercial publishers, independent research organizations, state government agencies, and universities.

Current Reports

Datasets on Black Public Opinion (Roper)

Proquest Statistical Abstract of the United States 2013-Present 

The Statistical Abstract of the United States 1878-2012 (US Census Bureau)

Facts on the Black or African American Population (US Census Bureau)

State and County Quick Facts (US Census Bureau)

Labor Statistics by Race (US Department of Labor)

Earnings by Demographics (US Department of Labor)

Race Data (US Census Bureau)

Fast Facts on Educational Attainment (National Center for Education Statistics)

Report on the Health of Black or African American non-Hispanic Population (Center for Disease Control)

African American Health Statistics (MedLine)

Education Statistics Quick Tables (National Center for Education Statistics)

Stop and Frisk Data, NYC (New York Civil Liberties Union)

Pew Research Center Reports  (Each broad topic has a separate section on African Americans)

Selected Pew Reports:

African Americans and Religion

Afro-Latino Identity Survey 

Multiracial in America Survey 

Social Media and Communities of Color

Historical Reports

Historical census statistics on population totals by race, 1790 to 1990, and by Hispanic origin, 1970 to 1990, for large cities and other urban places in the United States by Campbell Gibson and Kay Jung. Washington, DC : Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau, [2005]

Books

Black Americans : a statistical sourcebook. Boulder, Colo. : Numbers & Concepts ; Palo Alto, Calif. : Information Publications, c1990-  ALEX STACKS E185.5.B53 Most Recent Year in ALEX REF

Black demographic data, 1790-1860: a sourcebook / Clayton E. Cramer. Westport, Ct. : Greenwood Press, 1997. ALEX STACKS E185.18.C73 1997

Demographics of the U.S.: Trends and Projections. Cheryl Russell. 3^rded. American Consumer Series Ithaca, NY: New Strategist Publications, Inc., 2007. (E-BOOK)

Racial and Ethnic Diversity: Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Whites. 5^thed. American Consumer Series Ithaca, NY: New Strategist Publications, Inc., 2006. (E-BOOK)

Negroes in the United States, 1920-32. Prepared under the supervision of Z. R. Pettet by Charles E. Hall. New York, Greenwood Press [1969] CARR, DOUGLASS E185.6.U5853 1969b

The Negroes in the United States: their economic and social situation. Bureau of Labor Satistics. Washington, U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1966. ALEX DOCUS L 2.3:1511

Wake up and start to live : an analysis of a Gallup poll and a statistical profile of African American men, 1990-2000 / Bobby William Austin, Brian Gilmore, Joseph McCormick. Lanham, Md. : University Press of America, c2002. CAMDEN E185.86.A93 2002

Blacks and whites; an experiment in racial indicators [by] Michael J. Flax. [Washington, Urban Institute, 1971] ALEX E185.615.F55