Please note: We will strive to update this page with additional details as they become available following the launch of the census on April 1, 2022.
The release of the 1950 United States census on April 1, 2022, opens a new record set for genealogical discovery. Held by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the census includes 152 million individuals on 6.4 million pages.
How to Access the 1950 Census
Free access to the census is provided by NARA at 1950census.archives.gov. The census includes enumerations for 48 U.S. states and several territories.
Other popular websites will soon add the census to their materials. In the meantime, you can visit:
How to Search the 1950 Census
Though an initial index will be available at launch, additional work will likely be needed to make the census fully searchable. In the meantime, you can begin browsing the census by location (i.e., enumeration district) if you have an approximate address of where a family might be living in 1950.
Begin with Steve Morse’s free census tool and select the year, state, county, and city or town. To learn more, view this free video, Navigating the 1950 Census, by NYG&B Director of Programs and Publications, Susan R. Miller.
Ancestry.com subscribers can also access a district map tool to make it easier to search by location.
Test Your 1950 Census Sleuthing Skills
Once you have found your own families in the newly released 1950 U.S. census, take part in the NYG&B’s scavenger hunt! View below or print/download a PDF for easy reference.
How to participate?
- Locate any five individuals from the list below in the 1950 U.S. census. Everyone below has a connection to New York (though they may not be living in New York at the time of the census)!
- Send the names with links to each census page to membership@nygbs.org.
- Watch the NYG&B website (newyorkfamilyhistory.org) for clues and hints.
