U.S. Federal Census records have been taken every ten years since 1790. The latest census records available to researchers are those of the 1930 census. While originals still exist in some states, census records are available on microfilm only.
Federal census records from 1940 to 2000 are restricted to those whom the information is about, their authorized representatives, or heirs. This information is available in transcript only, requested from the Census Bureau.
To access all of the information available on a census record, you need to go to the record itself; the index provides only part of the information recorded. To locate a census record about a person, you must know his/her name, the name of the head of the household, and the state or territory in whch the person lived at the time of the census.
Beginning with the 1880 U.S. Federal Census and ending with 1930, the censuses are indexed by the Soundex system.
| UNITED STATES FEDERAL CENSUS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Data | Indexes |
| 1790 | Head of household, number of free white males, free white females, slaves, other persons, sometimes residence | Indexed for all states |
| 1800 | Head of household, number of free white males and free white females in age ranges, other free persons except Indians not taxed, slaves, residence | Indexed for all states |
| 1810 | Same as 1800 | Indexed for all states |
| 1820 | Same as 1810 PLUS number of persons not naturalized, number engaged in agriculture, commercial, or manufacture, number of colored persons | Indexed for all states |
| 1830 | Same as 1820 EXCEPT number of slaves and free colored, PLUS aliens; deaf, dumb, & blind | Indexed for all states |
| 1840 | Same as 1830 | Indexed for all states. |
| 1850 | For all household members: name, age, sex, color, birthplace, in school or married within previous year, literacy, handicapped, fugitive status; real estate value; occuptation for males over 15 | Indexed for all states |
| 1860 | For all free persons: name, age, sex, color, occupation, real estate value, personal estate value, birthplace, married during year, handicap, whether poor or a convict | Indexed for all states. |
| 1870 | Dwellings numbered in order of visitation; families numbered in order of visitation; for all household members: name, age at last birthday (infants aged in fractions), sex, color, birthplace, birthplace of parents, born or married within year, school attendance, literacy, handicap; occupation of all males and females; real estate and personal property value; male citizens over 21, and those over 21 denied voting rights | Indexed for all states. |
| 1880 | For all household members: name; white, black, mulatto, Indian, or Chinese; relationship to head of household; married or born within the year; marital status; occupation; parents' birthplaces; school attendance; literacy; health status; handicap | Indexed for some states. Soundex for families with children 10 yrs. and younger. |
| 1890 | Most of the census destroyed by 1921 fire at Dept. of Commerce fire where census was stored. Substitutions may be found using Union Civil War schedules. | Fragments exist in 11 states. In New York fragments for Westchester & Suffolk counties, and Eastchester and Brookhaven Township. |
| 1900 | For all household members: name, relationship to head of household, address, color or race, sex, age, month and year of birth, birthplace, marital status, years married, total number of children born of mother (living and dead), number of living children, parents' bithplace, immigration year, citizenship status of foreign-born, literacy, occupation, home ownership or rental, farm, mortgage | Soundex for all states. |
| 1910 | Same as 1900 EXCEPT no month of birth or number of years in U.S. PLUS language spoken, industry, employer, unemployment, employee status, school attendance, veteran status, handicap. | Soundex for some states: AL, AR, CA, FL, GA, IL, KS, KY, LA, MI, MO, MS, NC, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, & WV |
| 1920 | Same as 1910 PLUS year of naturalization, mother tongue of each parent, employer, salary or wage worker, or working on own account, number of farm schedule | Soundexed for all states. |
| 1930 | For all in household: name, relationship to head of household;for each person: sex, color or race, age at last birthday, marital status, age at first marriage; home data including value, rent or own, farm or house, radio; attending school, literacy, place of birth of individual and parents, immigration year, naturalization, English literacy; occupation, industry, worker status, employment, unemployment, veteran status, veteran experience; farm schedule number, address. | Soundex not available in NY. Soundexed for AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV |
| 1940 | Available for general research after 2012. | |
Adapted from information in chapter 5 on the census by Loretto Dennis Szucs in Szucs and Luebking, The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy (1997) and the NARA pamphlet Census Soundex (2002). See Selected Bibliography for complete references and more print sources.