U.S. Census Basics

An overview of the types of census records available and what information they contain

Federal Census Records

U.S. census records are one of the most valuable sources for doing genealogy research. From the census population schedules, you can learn valuable information such as names of family members and how they are related, ages, places of birth, marital status, occupation, and naturalization information.

The United States government has taken a federal census every 10 years since 1790. The information taken for each census varied over time.

When using census records, it's important to keep in mind that the census was typically taken by an individual walking or riding around from household to household, asking questions of a person they found at home, and then writing down the information they heard. Since the information varied depending on who the enumerator talked to in the household and what information the enumerator heard and recorded, errors did occur regularly. As a result, it is vital to always use other records to help to verify the information in a census and do not use the census records by themselves.

1790 to 1840 U.S. Federal Censuses

From 1790 to 1840, censuses included only the name of the head of household. Others in the household were shown only by category, such as in the number of free white males and females of certain age ranges.

The most valuable information here is confirming the name of the head of household, location, and the number of people in the household. Though the wife and children in a family aren't named specifically, studying a household over time using the age ranges can be helpful to estimate the ages of the others in the household and in addition to using other genealogy records, it can be possible to determine who was living in a particular household.

From 1790 to 1820 the census was taken on the first Monday of August. The 1830 and 1840 censuses were taken on June first.

1850, 1860, 1870 U.S. Federal Censuses

The first census to give the names and ages of everyone in the household was the 1850 census. It also included the occupation of each family members, as well as the state or country of birth. You will find each family member listed, but their relationship to the head of household is not named. Typically, the father was recorded first, followed by the mother, then the children, and then others in the household, but it's important to consult other records and not assume relationships between individuals. The value of real property (land) owned by each person was also recorded. From 1850 to 1870 the census was taken on June first.

1880 U.S. Federal Census

The 1880 census lists each person by name in the household, along with age, place of birth, and occupation. It also states the individual's relationship to the head of household. State or country of birth for each person's parents is also listed. This census was taken on June first.

1890 U.S Federal Census

Most of the original 1890 population schedules were destroyed in 1921 in a fire and the resulting water damage. Less than one percent of the records survived, which is 6,160 individuals. So most likely you will need to locate other types of records to learn about the family you are researching in 1890.

1900 to 1940 U.S. Federal Censuses

The 1900 to 1940 censuses included the information from previous censuses, and additional fields were added on some of them including color or race, marital status, number of years married, the total number of children born of the mother and the number of those children living, the year of immigration and the number of years in the United States, the citizenship status of foreign-born individuals over age twenty-one, whether the person could read, write, and speak English, whether the home was owned or rented, whether the home was on a farm and whether the home was mortgaged. In some cases, addresses and street names were written at the top or sides of the pages.

For information on locating these census records online, see our census directory pages.

If you're having difficulty finding your ancestor in a census records, see our article on 10 US Census Tips for Genealogy Research.

State Census Records

Many states compiled census records for other years. The information recorded varied. Below is a summary of the state or territorial censuses that were taken that exist today. Note that many of these censuses were for only part of a state and not complete for the entire state. For information on locating these census records online, see our census directory pages.

Alabama - 1816, 1820, 1850, 1855, 1866

Alaska - 1907

Arizona - 1864, 1866, 1867, 1869, 1872, 1874, 1876, 1882

Arkansas - 1823, 1829

California - 1852

Colorado - 1885

Florida - 1867, 1875, 1885, 1935, 1945

Georgia - 1827, 1838, 1845, 1852, 1859, 1896

Hawaii - 1866, 1878, 1890, 1896

Illinois - 1810, 1818, 1820, 1825, 1830, 1835, 1840, 1845, 1855, 1865

Iowa - 1836, 1838, 1844, 1846, 1847, 1849, 1851, 1852, 1854, 1856, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925

Kansas - 1855, 1856, 1857, 1858, 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925

Louisiana - 1799

Maine - 1837

Maryland - 1776

Massachusetts - 1855, 1865

Michigan - 1827, 1834, 1845, 1854, 1864, 1874, 1884, 1888, 1894

Minnesota - 1836, 1838, 1849, 1853, 1855, 1857, 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905

Mississippi - 1792, 1805, 1808, 1810, 1813, 1816, 1818, 1820, 1822, 1823, 1824, 1825, 1830, 1833, 1837, 1845, 1853, 1860, 1866

Missouri - 1752, 1766, 1770, 1779, 1787, 1791, 1792, 1793, 1794, 1795, 1796, 1797, 1800, 1803, 1817, 1818, 1819, 1840, 1844, 1848, 1852, 1856, 1860, 1864, 1876, 1880, 1887

Nebraska - 1854, 1855, 1856, 1858, 1864, 1865, 1869, 1870, 1872, 1874, 1875, 1876-1882, 1884, 1885, 1898, 1917

Nevada - 1861, 1862, 1875

New Jersey - 1855, 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915

New Mexico - 1845, 1885

New York - 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

North Carolina - 1784-1787

North Dakota - 1857, 1885, 1915, 1925

Oklahoma - 1890, 1907

Oregon - 1842, 1843, 1845, 1849, 1850, 1853, 1854, 1855, 1856, 1857, 1858, 1859

Rhode Island - 1774, 1865, 1875, 1885, 1905, 1915, 1925, 1935

South Carolina - 1829, 1839, 1869, 1875

South Dakota - 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925, 1935, 1945

Tennessee - 1891

Texas - 1830, 1840

Utah - 1856

Washington - 1856, 1857, 1860, 1871, 1873, 1875, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1883, 1885, 1887, 1889, 1891, 1892, 1898

Wisconsin - 1836, 1838, 1842, 1846, 1847, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905

Wyoming - 1869, 1875, 1878

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1.3 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.