LibGuides: Census Data: Other Census Data Sources

Census Data Sources

Census data, as provided by the U.S. Census Bureau can be difficult and frustrating to locate, access, download, process, and display. Contact Kelley Center for Government Information, Data and Geospatial Services for assistance.

Many online applications have been developed to streamline these steps and provide an intuitive and attractive user interface.

SimplyAnalytics This link opens in a new window
SimplyAnalytics enables non-technical users to create thematic maps and reports using demographic, business and marketing data.
Accessing SimplyAnalytics

Users are not required to log-in with a user name and password, however, their work will not be saved using this method which is located at the bottom of the SimplyAnalytics log-in page - "To create a temporary account, click here. Your work will not be saved.”

Creating an account in SimplyAnalytics

To make sure your work is saved, it is necessary to create an account. To create an account, click on “create an account" a the top of the Welcome screen. It will take you to a new screen asking for your email address and password. Check the box agreeing with the End User License Agreement and then click “Continue.” A confirmation e-mail will then be sent to your e-mail address. If you do not receive this email within two minutes, please check your SPAM folder.

Click on the activation link in the confirmation e-mail, and your account will be activated and ready to use. You may now go back to the Welcome login page, enter your e-mail address and password, and start using SimplyAnalytics.

Note: There is a download limit of 50MB total per semester per user per database.
Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
Provides access to current and historical census data and demographic information with the ability to create thematic and interactive maps and reports. Includes data on religious congregations.

Note: Users who want to bypass the option to create their own account can click on the Maps&Tables link to access the Social Explorer database.

National Historical Geographical System (NHGIS)
"Provides, free of charge, aggregate census data and GIS-compatible boundary files for the United States between 1790 and 2013." See instructions about how to use the NHGIS Data Finder on the Census Data Guide under Data Sources.

Quick Source Comparison

Each application provides access to different census products and different output formats.

Application	Years	Tabular Output	Map Output	Access Restrictions
data.census.gov	1990-present	CSV, XLS	PDF, GIF	None
Social Explorer	1790-	Unknown	Unknown	Requires free account
NHGIS	1790-	Unknown	Unknown	Requires free account
SimplyAnalytics	2000, 2010-2015	Unknown	Unknown	Full version requires Rice netID or IP Free version has no access restrictions