I’m trying to create a graph that shows the average age difference between the brides and grooms of marriages in 1850, categorized by the age of the bride. So I’m looking to compare the average age differences depending on the age of the bride. Where do I find this data and how to I download it? Thank you so much for your help!
As long as I understand your task correctly, I think you’ll be able to do this within IPUMS USA. There are two data files from the 1850 census available for use: the 1% sample and the full count file. Both should work for your analysis. The MARRINYR variable identifies individuals who were married within the past year. Note that the universe of this variable is restricted to only those who are 15+ years old. The SPLOC variable allows you to link spouse couples together. Next you can use the SEX and AGE variables to find the average age of those who were married within the past year, dis-aggregated by sex in 1850. This should do the trick. Let me know if you have any additional questions.