1950 United States Census
May 26, 2022 - Did you know that the National Archives has recently made public the 1950 United States Census? It is a treasure trove of information, and you can start searching the records now. The National Archives has created a dedicated website for searching the records at https://1950census.archives.gov/.
Ancestry and Heritage Quest databases are in the process of incorporating the 1950 Census records into their databases, but it is not yet complete. Although the indexing of names is ongoing, you can search what they have added.
What’s Included in the 1950 United States Census?
According to the National Archives website, the records contain the following information:
- Approximately 6.57 million population schedules
- 33,360 Indian Reservation schedules
- 9,634 enumeration district maps images
- 234,447 enumeration district descriptions
There are location- and name-based search capabilities. You can explore the records by, County/City, Enumeration District, Name, Reservation, and State.
What’s an enumeration district? According to the National Archives website, “An Enumeration District was an area that an enumerator (census taker) could completely cover within two weeks in cities and within four weeks in rural areas.”
There is also name transcription capabilities. You can use the built-in transcription feature to correct and add names to the name index. So patrons can help make the 1950 Census population schedules more discoverable for everyone.
Why is the 1950 United States Census Released Now?
Great question! The story is not clear. However, the possible explanations are fascinating. Read all about it in this NPR story.
We encourage you to do some digging!
Elliot Stapleton
Library Associate
