For most of the colonial period, Virginia was the most populous of the Thirteen Colonies, apart from when it was overtaken by Massachusetts between 1710 and 1740. The Plymouth colony was one of the first permanent settlements in what would become the United States, but is not included as one of the Thirteen Colonies as it was incorporated into Massachusetts in 1691.

The Plymouth Colony was established in present-day Massachussets in 1620. It was the first permanent British colony in New England, and the second in the Americas after Jamestown, Virginia. However, the neighboring Massachussets Bay Colony quickly became the most populous of the Thirteen Colonies, and Massachussets maintained this position until the end of the century. In terms of ethnicity, Rhode Island had the highest relative share of Black people in its population, the majority of whom lived in slavery until the 1780s when it was abolished in each of the New England states.

The Colonial New England Probates collection features data drawn from administrative records of 18,509 estates probated between the years of 1631 and 1776 in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. The data focus on measures of economic wealth, such as gross personal wealth, debts receivable, debts payable, and estate inventory values for consumer goods and real estate. Historical currency deflators and price indices are also incorporated. Geographic variables include sub-region, county, colony, and town. Demographic information for deceased estate owners includes age, sex, occupation, marital status, and parental status.