The date April 1, 2022 can’t come fast enough! Why? Because that is the date of the release of the 1950 United States census. As you wait for the release of the census, learn more about what you can expect from the 1950 census and what records you can search in the meantime!
The 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.
Americans abroad were enumerated for the first time in 1950. Provisions were made to count members of the armed forces, crews of vessels, and employees of the United States government living in foreign countries, along with any members of their families also abroad. This enumeration was carried out through cooperative arrangements with the departments of Defense and State, the United States Maritime Administration and other federal agencies that took responsibility for distributing and collecting specially designed questionnaires.
Other persons living abroad were to be reported by their families or neighbors in the United States, but the quality of these data was considered to be poor and they were not included in the published statistics.
A new survey on residential financing was conducted as part of the 1950 census. In a separate operation, information was collected on a sample basis from owners of owner-occupied and rental properties and mortgage lenders.
To read a pdf copy of the procedures and download a copy, hit here
The National Archives releases a census to the public only 72 years after the day the census was taken. Because census day in 1950 was April 1, the 1950 census will be released to the public on the same date in 2022.
