1950 Census Records

"On April 1, 2022, the 1950 Census records were released and are available free of charge.
Search the 1950 Census at 1950Census.Archives.gov

 

Taken every 10 years since 1790, the United States census provides a snapshot of the nation's population. Because of a 72-year restriction on access to the records, the most recent census year currently available is 1950.

On April 1, 2022, the 1950 Census was released, and users can access it for free through a dedicated website at 1950census.archives.gov. This population census is the 17th decennial census of the United States. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has digitized and is providing free online access to the 1950 Census population schedules for U.S. states and territories, enumeration district maps, and enumeration district descriptions.  

Bulk Download:  In addition, researchers can download the full 1950 Census dataset through the Amazon Web Services' (AWS) Registry of Open Data .  

How You Can Help

You can search the 1950 Census website by name and location. You can also search by Indian Reservation for form P8 Indian Reservation Schedules.

To develop the initial name index, we are using Amazon Web Services’ artificial intelligence / optical character recognition (AI/OCR) Textract tool to extract the handwritten names from the digitized 1950 Census population schedules. 

Because the initial name index is built on optical character recognition (OCR) technology, it is not 100-percent accurate. The National Archives is asking for your help in submitting name updates to the index using a transcription tool that is available on the 1950 Census website. You can help us improve the accuracy of the name index and make the records more accessible for everyone. More information will be forthcoming.."
1950 Census 

Explore Census Data

"Explore Census Data

The Census Bureau is the leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy.

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Tables

Check out our new table display which allows you to dynamically add geographies, topics, or any applicable filters. You can reorder, pin, and hide columns all with simple drag and drop functionality. Tab through different tables to make sure you found the right one, customize it, and then download multiple vintages of it quickly. If you don’t see a functionality you need, find a bug, or have a comment, drop us a line at cedsci.feedback@census.gov.

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Data Profiles

United States Profile

Los Angeles County Profile

New York City Profile

Maps and Visualizations

Total Population in the United States

Educational Attainment in the United States

Median Household Income in the United States

Employment Status in the United States

Housing Units in the United States

Industry and NAICS codes

31-33: Manufacturing

42: Wholesale Trade

44-45: Retail Trade

48-49: Transportation and Warehousing

72: Accommodation and Food Services.."
Census data 

U.S. Census Bureau to Release First Look at Nation's Demographic Characteristics from 2020 Census

"The U.S. Census Bureau by August 16 is set to release in-depth demographic statistics from the 2020 Census that will be used to redraw legislative voting districts. 

These follow the April 26 release of the first results from the 2020 Census, which showed that the total population was 331.4 million. The first release determined each state’s share of the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Aside from showing how the ethnic, racial, and voting age makeup of neighborhoods has changed since the 2010 Census, these detailed data will be used by most state legislatures to redistrict or redraw their political districts for elections.

The August data release will provide the first look at the demographic characteristics of the nation by state, county and city (down to the census block level), including:

• Race and ethnicity.
• Voting-age population.
• Occupied and vacant housing units.
• People living in group quarters like nursing homes, prisons, military barracks and college dorms.

Aside from showing how the ethnic, racial, and voting age makeup of neighborhoods has changed since the 2010 Census, these detailed data will be used by most state legislatures to redistrict or redraw their political districts for elections.

“While the primary purpose of these data is for states to redraw their districts, these statistics will also tell us how many people live in each county, in each city and in each block,” said James Whitehorne, chief of the Census Bureau’s Redistricting and Voting Rights Data Office. “This information will provide a detailed demographic portrait of our nation’s population for communities all across the United States.”

The August release will be in a “legacy” format that governments used in the 2010 and 2000 Censuses. States will use these files to begin their redistricting efforts. By September 30, the Census Bureau will make the same data available online in a more user-friendly format on data.census.gov.

In a new video, James Whitehorne and Nicholas Jones, the Census Bureau’s race/ethnicity Research and Outreach director, discuss what to expect in the upcoming data release...."
2020 Census 

Apportionment and Redistricting Process for the U.S. House of Representatives

"The census, apportionment, and redistricting are interrelated activities that affect representation in the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressional apportionment (or reapportionment) is the process of dividing seats for the House among the 50 states following the decennial census. Redistricting refers to the process that follows, in which states create new congressional districts or redraw existing district boundaries to adjust for population changes and/or changes in the number of House seats for the state. At times, Congress has passed or considered legislation addressing apportionment and redistricting processes under its broad authority to make law affecting House elections under Article I, Section 4, of the U.S. Constitution. These processes are all rooted in provisions in Article I, Section 2 (as amen ded by Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment).

Seats for the House of Representatives are constitutionally required to be divided among the states, based on the population size of each state. To determine how many Representatives each state is entitled to, the Constitution requires the national population to be counted every 10 years, which is done through the census. The Constitution also limits the number of Representatives to no more than one for every 30,000 persons, provided that each state receives at least one Representative. Additional parameters for the census and for apportionment have been established through federal statutes, including timelines for these processes; the number of seats in the House; and the method by which House seats are divided among states. Congress began creating more permanent legislation by the early 20th century to provide recurring procedures for the census and apportionment, rather than passing measures each decade to address an upcoming reapportionment cycle. Federal law related to the census process is found in Title 13 of the U.S. Code, and two key statutes affecting apportionment today are the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929 and the Apportionment Act of 1941..."
Apportionment and redistricting 

2020 Census Apportionment

"The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that the 2020 Census shows the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2020, was 331,449,281.

The U.S. resident population represents the total number of people living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The resident population increased by 22,703,743 or 7.4% from 308,745,538 in 2010.

“The American public deserves a big thank you for its overwhelming response to the 2020 Census,” Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said. “Despite many challenges, our nation completed a census for the 24th time. This act is fundamental to our democracy and a declaration of our growth and resilience. I also want to thank the team at the U.S. Census Bureau, who overcame unprecedented challenges to collect and produce high-quality data that will inform decision-making for years to come.”

“We are proud to release these first results from the 2020 Census today. These results reflect the tireless commitment from the entire Census Bureau team to produce the highest-quality statistics that will continue to shape the future of our country,” acting Census Bureau Director Ron Jarmin said. “And in a first for the Census Bureau, we are releasing data quality metrics on the same day we’re making the resident population counts available to the public. We are confident that today’s 2020 Census results meet our high data quality standards.” 

The new resident population statistics for the United States, each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are available on census.gov. 

• The most populous state was California (39,538,223); the least populous was Wyoming (576,851).
  
• The state that gained the most numerically since the 2010 Census was Texas (up 3,999,944 to 29,145,505).
• The fastest-growing state since the 2010 Census was Utah (up 18.4% to 3,271,616).
• Puerto Rico's resident population was 3,285,874, down 11.8% from 3,725,789 in the 2010 Census..."
  2020 Census Apportionment 

Census Bureau Launches 2020 Census Website

"The U.S. Census Bureau recently unveiled a new version of the 2020 Census website. The site differs from previous iterations in that it includes new Statistics in Schools materials, information about the count of young children, revised facts about the 2020 Census, job application information, and other answers to frequently asked questions.

Another important feature is the “Fighting 2020 Census Rumors” page, which is intended to combat misinformation regarding the next decennial census. Further, the page promotes a new email, rumors@census.gov, where the public can report false information about the 2020 Census..."

Census 2020 website

Understanding Who Was Missed in the 2010 Census

"Researchers use two main measures to determine who was missed in the 2010 Decennial Census: omissions and net undercounts. Omissions reflect the number of people who should have been counted in the census but were not, while net undercounts reflect the percent of people who were missed minus the percent who were double counted.

Census omissions and net undercount rates both reflect dimensions of census accuracy, but they often tell different stories. Analysis shows a nationwide omissions rate of 5.3 percent compared to a net undercount rate of 0.01 percent. This paper focuses on census omissions. In the 2010 U.S. Census, there were nearly 16 million omissions.

Omissions rates vary among demographic groups in much the same pattern as seen in net undercount rates. Racial and Hispanic minorities have higher omissions rates than non-Hispanic whites. Renters (8.5 percent omissions rate) are more likely than homeowners (3.7 percent) to be omitted in the census. Among the states, omissions rates range from a low of 2.6 percent in Iowa to a high of 8.9 percent in Mississippi. Large cities tend to have higher omissions rates than the rest of the country..."
2010 Census

Census Bureau Begins 2020 Census Address Canvassing Operation in Neighborhoods Across America

"Between August 4 and October 18, you may begin to notice census takers in your neighborhood. This is a normal part of the 2020 Census preparation and data collection process. Census field representatives will also continue to collect information for the American Community Survey (ACS) and other ongoing surveys.

Why Does the Census Bureau Do This?

You might see census takers in your neighborhood for a few different reasons:

• They are verifying addresses in preparation for the census.
• They are collecting responses to the census or another survey.
• They are dropping off census materials.
• They are conducting quality checks on the census.

Census takers who verify addresses are called address canvassers. They help ensure an accurate and complete count by verifying address lists across a wide area of physical geography, housing structures, and residence types. Part of this effort involves census takers on the ground noting where houses, apartments, shelters, and other residences are located. Census takers will attempt to knock on every door in the neighborhood they are canvassing..."
Census neighborhood canvassing

How the U.S. Census Defines Race

"What does America look like? To find out, historians often turn to data from the U.S. Census, which has collected information on population and race since 1790. But the census doesn't just study race in America—the terminology used in census forms can also define it. A new interactive graphic released by the Census Bureau shows how racial categorizations have changed over time.

There's not much continuity to the labels for people of color, write Laris Karklis and Emily Badger forThe Washington Post. Their piece, which offers a few alternative graphics using census race categories, shows just how often the government defines and redefines racial identities. As the Census Bureau prepares for the 2020 count, here are a few key details from the past 225 years:

Freedom and Slavery 

From the beginning, the census reflected early American realities of slavery. The very first census, which was conducted in 1790, was ordered to distinguish "free persons, including those bound to service for a term of years, from all others; distinguishing also the sexes and colours of free persons, and the free males of sixteen years and upwards from those under that age." As a result, census takers counted free whites, "all other free persons," and slaves. No distinction was made between differing ethnicities, but "slave" almost always meant enslaved Africans..."
Race and Census

Transportation Alternative by Census Region

From the 2013 American Housing Survey comes recent inforamtion on transportation use by  Census region.
Transportation and Census regions

Understanding Geographic Relationships: American Indian Areas

"The Hierarchy of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Areas displays the relationship between both legal and statistical American Indian Area boundaries. The hierarchy portrays relationships with a line and shows where relationships do not exist by displaying entities on different line tracks. For example, you can see how tribal census tracts and tribal block groups are related..."
Geographic relationships and American Indians

Understanding Geographic Relationships: Counties, Places, Tracts and More

"Geography is at the center of taking a census. We do not just count people; we count people where they live. Geography is important because it is the basis for taking a census and for tabulating census data. The Census Bureau also maintains unique geographic areas that other local, state and federal agencies use..."
Understanding geographic relationships

Race Reporting Among Hispanics: 2010

"The purpose of this paper is to evaluate how the Hispanic origin population

reported their race in the 2010 Census, with a unique emphasis on Hispanics who self-reported their origin. This information will greatly

improve the Census Bureau’s understanding of race reporting among Hispanics in a census environment.."

Hispanic race reporting

Free Census Training Resources

Find free resources for learning about U.S. census data.
Census Training Resources

Census Bureau Home Page New Features

"In an effort to improve navigation, improve ease of use and make statistics more discoverable, the U.S. Census Bureau today launched new features on the census.gov home page. Users will now see an economic dashboard with key indicators generated by the Census Bureau prominently located on the upper right. Visitors will also find a new interactive map that shows in-depth business and demographic information for the nation, states and counties. There will also be a “Stat of the Day” highlighting Census Bureau statistics. Navigation has also been improved by grouping links into themes. Those familiar with the features and links such as QuickFacts and the 2010 Population Finder will still find them on the new home page along with a feedback button to provide comments on their overall experience with the new design."

Housing Characteristisc: 2010 (2010 Census Briefs)

"This report, part of a series that analyzes data from the 2010 Census, highlights housing in 2010 and changes in housing characteristics between 2000 and 2010 in the nation, regions, states, metropolitan areas, counties, and ten most populous cities..."

The White Population: 2010 (2010 Census Briefs)

"This report provides a portrait of the White population in the United States and discusses its distribution at the national level and at lower levels of geography.1 It is part of a series that analyzes population and housing data collected from the 2010 Census. The data for this report are based on the 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, which was the first 2010 Census data product released with data on race and Hispanic origin and was provided to each state for use in drawing boundaries for legislative districts..."

Black Population: 2010 (2010 Census Briefs)

"This report provides a portrait of the Black population in the United States and discusses its distribution at the national level and at lower levels of geography.1, 2 It is part of a series that analyzes population and housing data collected from the 2010 Census. The data for this report are based on the 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, which was the first 2010 Census data product released with data on race and Hispanic origin and was provided to each state for use in drawing boundaries for legislative districts..."

Census Bureau Releases 2010 Census Demographic Profiles for Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Puerto Rico and Wisconsin
"The U.S. Census Bureau today[5/12/11] released the Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 for Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Puerto Rico and Wisconsin. The demographic profiles provide 2010 Census data on age and sex distributions, race, Hispanic or Latino origin, household relationship and type, the group quarters population, and housing occupancy and tenure (whether the housing occupant owns or rents). Throughout May, these profiles are being released on a rolling basis for all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

The profile includes more than 150 data items in all, plus percentage distributions..

The demographic profiles can be found on the Census Bureau's American FactFinderwebsite..."

Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics
"The U.S. Census Bureau today released the Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 for the District of Columbia, Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. The demographic profiles provide 2010 Census data on age and sex distributions, race, Hispanic or Latino origin, household relationship and type, the group quarters population, and housing occupancy and tenure (whether the housing occupant owns or rents). Throughout May, these profiles are being released on a rolling basis for all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

The profile includes more than 150 data items in all, plus percentage distributions...