Census US

Researching the Census US or International can be an invaluable experience for any family history enthusiast. While many different census have similar characteristics, the Census US (Federal) has matured over 150 years and offers an unmatched opportunity to learn about family groups. If you have immigrant ancestors that arrived between 1880 and 1900, the Census US will be an excellent complement to immigration and passenger arrival records.

If you're new to genealogy, you may wish to start with our Census Research 101 link. Once you have a basic understanding of how and why census were taken, you'll be better equipped to search for and interpret findings.

Next Steps
When conducting census or any other family history research, it is alwasy best to "walk backwards". By this, we mean that you should start with the most recent records for the individual you are researching (typically a burial or death record) and then step back through time to develop a chronology of events for their life. If the person died in the 1930s or later, you should try to find them in the 1930 Census, then 1920, 1910, 1900, and so on.

If you wish, you can search Census US records online using Ancestry.com, a fee-based service providing access to census and other valuable content for genealogists. The search template below will give you and idea of the types of census information you may be able to find.

If you prefer to learn about or search a specific Census US decade, you can select a decade below and go directly to a page specific to that census year.

Search Any U.S. Federal Census Year
1790 • 1800 • 1810 • 1820 • 1830 • 1840 • 1850 • 1860
1870 • 1880 • 1890 • 1900 • 1910 • 1920 • 1930