Daily AncestorThe 1950 U.S. Census
The 1950 census, dated April 1, 1950, and released April 1, 2022, is free to search by name at 1950census.archives.gov, the newest census open to the public.
The seventeenth census began on April 1, 1950. About 90 percent of people were counted by the end of April and nearly all by the end of June. It was the last census in which enumerators visited most homes with large sheets listing many households.
Under the 72-year rule these records stayed closed until April 1, 2022. The National Archives then opened a free website with a name index, enumeration district maps, and district descriptions.
The questions, column by column
| Street, house number, dwelling serial number, farm or ranch, three or more acres | Locates the home. |
|---|---|
| Name | The surname is often written only for the head and anyone with a different surname. |
| Relationship, race, sex, age, marital status | Marital status now includes Sep for separated. |
| State or country of birth, naturalized if foreign born | AP means born abroad of American parents. |
| Work last week, hours, occupation, industry, class of worker | For persons 14 and older. |
| Sample line questions, six people per sheet | Residence a year earlier, parents' birthplaces, schooling, weeks worked and income in 1949, and for men, service in World War I, World War II, or other times. |
| Last sample line only | Married more than once, years since last married, widowed, divorced, or separated, and children ever born to women. |
New this census
- Separated as a marital status.
- Residence one year earlier.
- Household forms filled in by the family, tested in parts of Michigan and Ohio.
Watch out for
- The name index was made by machine reading of handwriting. Try spelling variants, or browse by enumeration district.
- Sheets numbered 71 and higher hold people counted out of order.
- College students were counted where they lived while at school, not at their parents' home.
- Babies born January to March 1950 were noted on infant cards that were later destroyed, and the housing side of each sheet was never filmed and is lost.
Other schedules
- Form P8, the Indian Reservation Schedule, gave other names, tribe, and more for people on reservations. Farm, irrigation, and drainage schedules were destroyed.
Where to see it
- Free at 1950census.archives.gov, with a tool to correct and add names. The full dataset can also be downloaded.