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1950 Decennial Census Records - Newly Released!
- 1950 Census Official WebsiteThe 1950 census records were released by the U.S. National Archives on April 1, 2022. This website provides full free access to the 1950 census images, including population schedules, enumeration district maps, and enumeration district descriptions. Don't overlook the Resources section.
What's available on the website:
• Approximately 6.57 million population schedules
• 33,360 Indian Reservation schedules
• 9,634 enumeration district maps images
• 234,447 enumeration district descriptions
• Location and name-based searching: Explore records by State, County/City, Name, Reservation, and Enumeration District (ED).
• Easy-to-use transcription feature to correct and add names to the machine-generated name index. Help make the 1950 Census population schedules more discoverable for everyone!
1950 Decennial Census Overview
- Overview of 1950 CensusThe 1950 census encompassed the continental United States, the territories of Alaska and Hawaii, American Samoa, the Canal Zone, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States, and some of the smaller island territories.
- 1950 Census Questions (Population)The 1950 census population questionnaire asked fewer questions than its predecessor; the full population was asked only 20 questions. Enumerators asked additional supplemental questions of a 20 percent (questions 21–33) and 3.5 percent (questions 34–38) sample of the population. Enumerators asked the following questions.
- Census Forms in the 1950 Census DatasetReproduction of blank Census forms used by enumerators in the 1950 Census.
- History Hub (NARA)A support community managed by the National Archives for researchers, citizen historians, archival professionals, and open government advocates. Lots of useful posts to answer your Census questions. Includes discussion boards, blogs, and community pages to bring together experts and researchers
- A Stroke of Genealogy: Searching U.S. Census Bureau RecordsThis course will walk you through searching steps and introduce you to many important resources for accessing and using these records, including the 1950 Census of Population records.
- 1950 Census Questions (Housing)The 1950 census housing questionnaire was slightly shorter than its counterpart from 1940. Additionally, the questionnaires for occupied and vacant housing were combined into one form.
1950 Census: NARA Overview Tutorial of Website Features
Genealogy Series: 1950 Census - NARA Tutorial
Enumeration District (ED) - Maps and Definitions
Enumeration Districts are an important and frequently an essential part of finding individuals in the 1950 Census as many names have not been fully transcribed.
- 1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Texas - Bexar - San Antonio - ED 265-1 to 462Online from National Archives (NARA) ED 265-1 to 462
- HeritageQuest Online (ProQuest) This link opens in a new windowUse CITY DIRECTORIES to locate historical addresses and assist finding Enumeration District if name search in 1950 Census is not fruitful. Can also help find alternate spelling of names as many names in the Census were transcribed incorrectly.
- San Antonio Historical and City DirectoriesTypically, a city directory contains an alphabetical list of heads of households, addresses, and occupations as well as businesses and organizations.
- City Directories of the United StatesThis is a commercial site which charges a fee for obtaining directory information. I have only listed it here because it is useful for identifying repositories that have historical city directories. Some of the repositories have digitized collections that are freely available on the web.
Enumeration Districts Tutorial
Racial Categories on 1950 Census
Race Categories for 1950:
- White
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Note: Mexicans were to be reported as white (“W”) unless there were “definitely of Indian or other nonwhite race.”
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- Black or African American
- American Indian or Alaska Native
- Chinese, Filipino, Asian Indian, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese or other Asian
- Native Hawaiian, Samoan, Chamorro or other Pacific Islander
- Some other race