Research Guides: GIS for Architecture: Census Data

Census Data Sources

The U.S. Census contains an amazing wealth of demographic information, but it must be linked to a defined geography (such as census tracts, blocks, or block groups) to be mapped in GIS.

ESRI Data and Maps
Connect to the Geospatial Data collection and select the ESRI Data and Maps folder, then USA, then Census. Select demographic attributes can be mapped by census geography. This is one of the easier ways to access census information, however not all demographic information is included.
American Factfinder
Offical home for U.S. Census data. If you are looking for a specific attribute, you can typically find it here, however it will need to be linked to census geography (see above or TIGER).
gCensus
Free online mapping application for US census 2000 summary 1 files, powered by Google Earth

Resources for 2010 Census and American Community Survey

How to Use the Data: Handbooks
How to Use the Data: Quality Measures