diff --git a/cmake/CeresConfig.cmake.in b/cmake/CeresConfig.cmake.in
index c225058..14ab342 100644
--- a/cmake/CeresConfig.cmake.in
+++ b/cmake/CeresConfig.cmake.in
@@ -203,8 +203,14 @@
 # Eigen.
 # Flag set during configuration and build of Ceres.
 set(CERES_EIGEN_VERSION @EIGEN_VERSION@)
+set(EIGEN_WAS_BUILT_WITH_CMAKE @FOUND_INSTALLED_EIGEN_CMAKE_CONFIGURATION@)
 # Append the locations of Eigen when Ceres was built to the search path hints.
-list(APPEND EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR_HINTS @EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR@)
+if (EIGEN_WAS_BUILT_WITH_CMAKE)
+  set(Eigen3_DIR @Eigen3_DIR@)
+  set(EIGEN_PREFER_EXPORTED_EIGEN_CMAKE_CONFIGURATION TRUE)
+else()
+  list(APPEND EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR_HINTS @EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR@)
+endif()
 # Search quietly to control the timing of the error message if not found. The
 # search should be for an exact match, but for usability reasons do a soft
 # match and reject with an explanation below.
diff --git a/cmake/FindEigen.cmake b/cmake/FindEigen.cmake
index cdeb305..af141ef 100644
--- a/cmake/FindEigen.cmake
+++ b/cmake/FindEigen.cmake
@@ -35,14 +35,25 @@
 #
 # EIGEN_FOUND: TRUE iff Eigen is found.
 # EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIRS: Include directories for Eigen.
-#
 # EIGEN_VERSION: Extracted from Eigen/src/Core/util/Macros.h
 # EIGEN_WORLD_VERSION: Equal to 3 if EIGEN_VERSION = 3.2.0
 # EIGEN_MAJOR_VERSION: Equal to 2 if EIGEN_VERSION = 3.2.0
 # EIGEN_MINOR_VERSION: Equal to 0 if EIGEN_VERSION = 3.2.0
+# FOUND_INSTALLED_EIGEN_CMAKE_CONFIGURATION: True iff the version of Eigen
+#                                            found was built & installed /
+#                                            exported as a CMake package.
 #
 # The following variables control the behaviour of this module:
 #
+# EIGEN_PREFER_EXPORTED_EIGEN_CMAKE_CONFIGURATION: TRUE/FALSE, iff TRUE then
+#                           then prefer using an exported CMake configuration
+#                           generated by Eigen over searching for the
+#                           Eigen components manually.  Otherwise (FALSE)
+#                           ignore any exported Eigen CMake configurations and
+#                           always perform a manual search for the components.
+#                           Default: TRUE iff user does not define this variable
+#                           before we are called, and does NOT specify
+#                           EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR_HINTS, otherwise FALSE.
 # EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR_HINTS: List of additional directories in which to
 #                          search for eigen includes, e.g: /timbuktu/eigen3.
 #
@@ -66,6 +77,7 @@
 macro(EIGEN_REPORT_NOT_FOUND REASON_MSG)
   unset(EIGEN_FOUND)
   unset(EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIRS)
+  unset(FOUND_INSTALLED_EIGEN_CMAKE_CONFIGURATION)
   # Make results of search visible in the CMake GUI if Eigen has not
   # been found so that user does not have to toggle to advanced view.
   mark_as_advanced(CLEAR EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR)
@@ -89,38 +101,68 @@
 # here to fail.
 unset(EIGEN_FOUND)
 
-# Search user-installed locations first, so that we prefer user installs
-# to system installs where both exist.
-list(APPEND EIGEN_CHECK_INCLUDE_DIRS
-  /usr/local/include
-  /usr/local/homebrew/include # Mac OS X
-  /opt/local/var/macports/software # Mac OS X.
-  /opt/local/include
-  /usr/include)
-# Additional suffixes to try appending to each search path.
-list(APPEND EIGEN_CHECK_PATH_SUFFIXES
-  eigen3 # Default root directory for Eigen.
-  Eigen/include/eigen3 # Windows (for C:/Program Files prefix) < 3.3
-  Eigen3/include/eigen3 ) # Windows (for C:/Program Files prefix) >= 3.3
+# -----------------------------------------------------------------
+# By default, if the user has expressed no preference for using an exported
+# Eigen CMake configuration over performing a search for the installed
+# components, and has not specified any hints for the search locations, then
+# prefer an exported configuration if available.
+if (NOT DEFINED EIGEN_PREFER_EXPORTED_EIGEN_CMAKE_CONFIGURATION
+    AND NOT EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR_HINTS)
+  message(STATUS "No preference for use of exported Eigen CMake configuration "
+    "set, and no hints for include directory provided. "
+    "Defaulting to preferring an installed/exported Eigen CMake configuration "
+    "if available.")
+  set(EIGEN_PREFER_EXPORTED_EIGEN_CMAKE_CONFIGURATION TRUE)
+endif()
 
-# Search supplied hint directories first if supplied.
-find_path(EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR
-  NAMES Eigen/Core
-  PATHS ${EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR_HINTS}
-  ${EIGEN_CHECK_INCLUDE_DIRS}
-  PATH_SUFFIXES ${EIGEN_CHECK_PATH_SUFFIXES})
+if (EIGEN_PREFER_EXPORTED_EIGEN_CMAKE_CONFIGURATION)
+  find_package(Eigen3 QUIET)
+  if (EIGEN3_FOUND)
+    message(STATUS "Found installed version of Eigen: ${Eigen3_DIR}")
+    set(FOUND_INSTALLED_EIGEN_CMAKE_CONFIGURATION TRUE)
+    set(EIGEN_FOUND ${EIGEN3_FOUND})
+    set(EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR "${EIGEN3_INCLUDE_DIR}" CACHE STRING
+      "Eigen include directory" FORCE)
+  else()
+    message(STATUS "Failed to find an installed/exported CMake configuration "
+      "for Eigen, will perform search for installed Eigen components.")
+  endif()
+endif()
 
-if (NOT EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR OR
+if (NOT EIGEN_FOUND)
+  # Search user-installed locations first, so that we prefer user installs
+  # to system installs where both exist.
+  list(APPEND EIGEN_CHECK_INCLUDE_DIRS
+    /usr/local/include
+    /usr/local/homebrew/include # Mac OS X
+    /opt/local/var/macports/software # Mac OS X.
+    /opt/local/include
+    /usr/include)
+  # Additional suffixes to try appending to each search path.
+  list(APPEND EIGEN_CHECK_PATH_SUFFIXES
+    eigen3 # Default root directory for Eigen.
+    Eigen/include/eigen3 # Windows (for C:/Program Files prefix) < 3.3
+    Eigen3/include/eigen3 ) # Windows (for C:/Program Files prefix) >= 3.3
+
+  # Search supplied hint directories first if supplied.
+  find_path(EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR
+    NAMES Eigen/Core
+    PATHS ${EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR_HINTS}
+    ${EIGEN_CHECK_INCLUDE_DIRS}
+    PATH_SUFFIXES ${EIGEN_CHECK_PATH_SUFFIXES})
+
+  if (NOT EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR OR
+      NOT EXISTS ${EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR})
+    eigen_report_not_found(
+      "Could not find eigen3 include directory, set EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR to "
+      "path to eigen3 include directory, e.g. /usr/local/include/eigen3.")
+  endif (NOT EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR OR
     NOT EXISTS ${EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR})
-  eigen_report_not_found(
-    "Could not find eigen3 include directory, set EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR to "
-    "path to eigen3 include directory, e.g. /usr/local/include/eigen3.")
-endif (NOT EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR OR
-       NOT EXISTS ${EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR})
 
-# Mark internally as found, then verify. EIGEN_REPORT_NOT_FOUND() unsets
-# if called.
-set(EIGEN_FOUND TRUE)
+  # Mark internally as found, then verify. EIGEN_REPORT_NOT_FOUND() unsets
+  # if called.
+  set(EIGEN_FOUND TRUE)
+endif()
 
 # Extract Eigen version from Eigen/src/Core/util/Macros.h
 if (EIGEN_INCLUDE_DIR)