Our representative form of government requires that a census of the population be taken every 10 years to apportion representatives fairly among the States. University Libraries holds many of these materials. This guide will help you gain access to these materials, and will direct you to other local resources when appropriate.

University Libraries has been a federal depository library since 1909. We have most decennial census materials since then, and selected materials before then. Please be aware that many of these earlier materials have not yet been cataloged in The Library Catalog.

The U.S. Census Bureau has produced a helpful online guide to decennial censuses: Measuring America: The Decennial Censuses From 1790 to 2000.

University Libraries does not own census population schedules. Users doing research on population schedules are directed to go to the Denver Public Library, the Colorado State Archives, or the National Archives Denver office.

The following list presents locations of materials in the University Libraries Documents Stacks.