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Agency History
Census Records & Family History
Historical Censuses & Surveys
Galleries & Archives
Data@Museums
Data@Museums
Census data is a great resource for understanding our communities. For over 225 years, the United States has counted its population. This data provides a "snapshot in time" allowing museums to tell stories about local populations or single families and compare them with other towns, or states, and countries.
Data@Museums shows how exhibit demographic, agriculture, and economic census data are used to educate visitors about population growth and decline, immigration and migration, and changes in race, gender, housing, and economies in the areas they serve. To read more about the innovative ways some of these museums are presenting census data, follow the links to the museums' Web sites. Also, watch for new additions posted in this section and at the Census Bureau's social media sites (#MuseumMondays).
Has your museum used census data in its exhibits? The Census Bureau's History Staff would love to add a description of your exhibit, Web site links, and photos to Data@Museums and feature it on its social media pages! Contact us at sharon.a.tosi.lacey@census.gov.
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Amelia Earhart Birthplace MuseumThe Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum in Atchison, KS, uses census data to assist in writing grant requests.
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Anacostia MuseumThe Anacostia Museum used census data about Panamanian Migration in its exhibit "Bridging the Americas."
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Bainbridge Island Historical MuseumThe Bainbridge Island Historical Museum used data from the 1910 and 2010 censuses to illustrate how each capital city's population changed over a 100-year span.
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Basque Museum & Cultural CenterThe Basque Museum & Cultural Center used census records to identify previously unknown Basque-owned boarding houses in the United States.
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Big Horn County MuseumThe Big Horn County Historical Museum uses census data to recreate local history and the culture of the Plains Indians.
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Chrysler Museum of ArtAn exhibit by artist Norwood Viviano at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, VA, depicts the rise and decline of 25 urban centers in blown glass.
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Cleveland History CenterThe Cleveland History Center's "Power and Politics" exhibit uses census data and artifacts, like a dress worn by former first lady Nancy Reagan.
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Dallas Historical SocietyThe Dallas Historical Society used census records to tell the story of Texas photographer Polly Smith and her family.
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Elmore County Historical Society and MuseumThe location of Alabama's first prison was chosen based on population data. The prison was named for prison reformer Julia Tutwiler in 1941.
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Frazier History MuseumThe Frazier History Museum in Louisville, KY, used census data to tell the story of Prohibition in Kentucky.
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Gaithersburg Community MuseumThe Gaithersburg Community Museum uses maps and census data to show how the city has grown since its settlement in 1765.
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George Bush Presidential Library and Museum at Texas A&M UniversityThe George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, TX, used census population data in the creation of “Pearl Harbor Remembered."
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Glore Psychiatric MuseumThe Glore Psychiatric Museum in St. Joseph, MO, uses census records to interpret the lives of the hospitals patients and staff.
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Heritage Sandy SpringsHeritage Sandy Springs uses census data to show how Sandy Springs, GA, has grown over the years.
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Institute of Texan CulturesThe Los Tejanos exhibit at the Institute of Texan Cultures explores the contributions of the Tejano population to the Texan identity and culture.
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Jesse Owens Museum and ParkThe Jesse Owens Museum and Park uses census data to tell the story of Jesse Owens and to determine where to locate its advertising to attract visitors.
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Lane County Historical MuseumThe Lane County Historical Museum uses census records to tell the story of African Americans who worked for the Oregon Electric Railroad.
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Lower East Side Tenement MuseumThe Lower East Side Tenement Museum uses census data to tell the story of some of the 7,000 tenants who lived at 97 Orchard Street from 1863 to 1935.
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Mark Twain MuseumThe Mark Twain Museum used census data to tell the story of Tom Blankenship, the boy who served as the model for Twain's Huckleberry Finn character.
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Mel Fischer Maritime MuseumThe Mel Fischer Maritime Museum in Key West, FL featured an exhibit on U.S. Marshal Fernando Moreno, who conducted the 1860 Census of Key West.
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Minnesota Historical SocietyThe exhibit Open House: If These Walls Could Talk uses census data to help visitors better understand the families that lived in the house and its neighborhood.
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Morgantown History MuseumThe Morgantown History Museum uses census data in many exhibits, including those about child labor and the city's industrial history.
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Museum of Work and CultureThe Rhode Island Historical Society's Museum of Work and Culture tells the story of the Woonsocket region's mill workers and how its population has changed.
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National Cowboy & Western Heritage MuseumThis museum used census records to trace the backgrounds of eight women who graduated from the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical School in 1916.
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Northwest African American MuseumThe "Our Journey" exhibit follows African American history in the northwestern United States during the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
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Occoquan Mill House MuseumThe Occoquan Mill House Museum uses census data to illustrate the growth of Occoquan, VA, since its 1765 founding.
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Passaic County Historical SocietyAn exhibit at the Passaic County Historical Society used census data to highlight the diversity of striking mill workers during the 1913 Paterson Silk Strike.
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Pella Historical Society and MuseumsThe Pella Historical Society & Museums highlights the towns Dutch heritage and includes the childhood home of "Wild West" lawmen Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan Earp.
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Pettis County Historical Society & MuseumThe Pettis County Historical Society & Museum in Sedalia, MO, uses census data to help visitors better understand their family's history and the community.
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Plymouth MuseumTo celebrate Plymouth Museum benefactor Maragaret Dunning's 100th birthday, the museum used 1910 Census data to illustrate the city in which she was born.
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Renton History MuseumThe Renton History Museum used 1910 Census records to identify people and businesses featured in images displayed in its "Frozen in Time" exhibit.
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River Road African American MuseumThe River Road African American Museum uses census data to tell the story of Ascension Parish, LA, and its inhabitants.
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Shiloh Museum of Ozark HistoryThe Shiloh Museum of Ozark History recently published a book on the woven coverlets in their collection and used census data to trace their artisans.
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Smith-McDowell House MuseumThe Smith-McDowell House Museum use census records to tell the story of the home's residents and to teach how to conduct research using primary documents.
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Texarkana Museum of Regional HistoryThe Texarkana Museum of Regional History uses census data to tell the story of the "King of Ragtime" and Texarkana native, Scott Joplin.
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The Computer History MuseumAmong the innovators featured is Herman Hollerith, creator of the tabulating machine first used by the U.S. Census Bureau during the 1890 Census.
Page Last Revised - August 15, 2024
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