Thursday
April 25, 2024 
1950 Federal Census. United States census records have been taken every 10 years since 1790 to provide a snapshot of the nation’s population as well as to apportion seats in the House of Representatives. However, personally identifiable information about an individual may not be released until 72 years after the census. (Why 72? The most common explanation is that 72 years was the average lifespan when the policy was set in 1952.) Therefore, results of the 1950 Federal census were made available on April 1, 2022.
In 1950, there were 150 million folks in America; and, in the first two weeks of April 1950, 143,000 census takers fanned out across America to count everyone. This would be the last census that was taken exclusively by individuals going door to door and asking questions. The records for 1950 include each person’s name, age, gender, race, marital status, relationship to head of household, state or country of birth, naturalization status and employment information, such as occupation, industry in which the person worked, and type of employer. (There were five versions of the questionnaire — each with different lines marked for “sampling.” The people on these lines were asked further questions.)
The census numbers help communities to determine where to build everything from schools to supermarkets, and from homes to hospitals. For example, in the decade following the 1950 census, the Doylestown Shopping Center was constructed, Doylestown Hospital (Belmont Avenue) doubled its capacity, Linden Elementary School was opened, and the Maplewood community was built.
Source: National Archives
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