The UMass Donahue Institute is the Commonwealth’s official partner with the U.S. Census Bureau in Massachusetts. We operate the Massachusetts State Data Center, the official repository for U.S. census data in Massachusetts. In this capacity, our primary function is to acquire, archive, and analyze census data.

We also provide custom census data extracts and consulting on a fee-for-service basis. These products frequently include spreadsheets and thematic maps.

In addition to disseminating U.S. census data and providing fee-for-service data, the Massachusetts State Data Center contracts with a variety of clients to perform customized, large-scale research projects and analyses. Examples of these projects are:

• Analyze an industry size and scope to help industry clients market their services and economic impact.
• Report on key population and demographic trends to guide clients’ marketing efforts.

Massachusetts State Data Center

The State Data Center (SDC) program was established in 1978 by the U.S. Census Bureau to make statistical information more readily available to the public through a network of state agencies, universities, libraries, and regional and local organizations.

The SDC’s mission is to provide easy and efficient access to census data and information through a wide network of lead, coordinating, and affiliate agencies in each state. The Census Bureau provides data products, training, technical assistance, and consultation to data centers. The data centers, in turn, offer products and assistance to local community leaders, planners, businesses, researchers, and the general public.

We use the Massachusetts census data to provide local community leaders, state agencies, businesses, libraries, and researchers with critical planning and decision support. As a data resource for the Commonwealth, we maintain an extensive publication library and several databases. Our publication library is most useful for census data research from 1950-1990.

The Massachusetts SDC maintains several Massachusetts specific files on its website, such as:

• Population data (age, race, and gender)
• Housing data (home ownership rates, building permits)
• Social and economic data (poverty, income, and education)
• Thematic maps (poverty, income, and education)

These free data products generally include data for the state of Massachusetts, its fourteen counties, and 351 cities and towns.

Additional Data Sources

• Other state data centers
• Locate a Massachusetts State Data affiliate near you
• Download data from Census 1990, 2000, and more recent surveys
  

For more information please contact:

John Gaviglio, B.B.A.
Data Manager
(413) 545-6657