about Census data
infographics
- The Great Migration, 1910 to 1970Visualization from US Census Bureau
- Measuring race and ethnicity across the decadesGraphic from US Census Bureau
- What the census calls us - American census categories for race & ethnicityInteractive visualization - Pew Research Center
e-books
- Negroes in the United States (1904)Bureau of the Census, W. E. B. Du Bois, Walter Francis Willcox, and William Chamberlin Hunt. 1904.
- Increase of Population In the United States, 1910-1920: A Study of Changes In the Population of Divisions, States, Counties, And Rural And Urban Areas, And In Sex, Color, And Nativity, At the Fourteenth CensusRossiter, William Sidney, 1861-1929, LeVerne Beales, and Willard Long Thorp. 1922.
- Historical statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1957Chapter A: Population. US Census Bureau
- Negro Population 1790-19151918. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. example: Milwaukee
finding historical census data
- HeritageQuest
Access provided through Badgerlink for Wisconsin residents. Genealogical and historical sources including U.S. Federal Censuses.
Select census year: 1900, 1910, 1920.
- Race: enter "black" (or mulatto for 1910, 1920)
- Lived in: enter "city" (county, state, country)
- Search, adjust search and search filters if needed
- Browse and view records returned
- Family Search - US Census recordsrequires free account to be set up
population and demographic information for states and cities
- 1910 Census Bulletinsclick the demographics tab
- 1920 Census Bulletinsclick the demographics tab
resources
- Starting Points: Historical Statistics on African AmericansLibrary of Congress blog post
- Negro, Black and African-American Census ReportsExcellent research guide from University of Missouri Libraries
activity
- Enter a city in the “Lived In” field, then check the “Exact to this place” box when it comes up
- Enter “Black” in the “Race” field, then check the “Exact” box when it comes up
- When a list of names comes up, click on a name
- When a census page comes up, please record:
- Five names of people from different Black families on that page.
- What percentage of people on that page are Black?
- How many people are in the average household?
- What are the age ranges in the Black households on that page?
- Where were most Black people born on that page?
- Where were the parents of most Black people on that page born?
- What are the most common jobs that the Black people on that page were working?
- What percentage of Black people on that page could read and write?
- How many Black people owned vs. rented their living spaces?
Explore Census Data
1900, 1910, 1920
- name
- relation to head of the family
- color or Race
- sex
- date of Birth / Age
- family
- place of birth
- father's place of birth
- mother's place of birth
- occupation, trade, or profession / employment status
- education / language / immigration status
- home owned or rented
- farm or house
-
1910: survivor of the Union or Confederate Army or Navy, blind both eyes, deaf and dumb (however, numbers in these fields may refer to punch card processing done after the census)
What can you find out about their neighbors? Their neighborhood?
Find a ward and/or district map online so you can see geographically where the census data came from
Can you find them or their family or neighbors in the next census? Observations?
Can you find this neighborhood in the next census? Observations?
What were the overall population demographics and trends for the city?
