The U.S. Census Bureau's National Processing Center (NPC) in Jeffersonville, Indiana, maintains copies of census records from 1910 through the most recent census, including those not yet publicly released under the 72-year rule.

After the 72 years have passed, the Census Bureau transmits the records to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) who is responsible for making the records publicly available for viewing or purchase.

By law, records from the censuses of population and housing are made publicly accessible 72 years after each decennial census' "Census Day."

The most recent publicly available census records are from the 1950 census, released April 2, 2022. The records from the 1960 Census of Population and Housing will be released in April 2032.

Visit the National Archives’ Census Records site to:

In addition, online subscription services are available to access the 1790–1950 census records. Many public libraries provide access to these subscription services free of charge to their patrons, so contact your local library to inquire if it has subscribed to one of these historical census record services.

In addition to the censuses conducted by the federal government, many state censuses have been conducted. Some of these date to the colonial period. Although the National Archives may have some of these records, contact your state or local archives to inquire about their state census holdings.

Individuals may need to request their own census record before it is made publicly available for situations where a birth certificate or other official documentation is required but not available such as: qualifying for age-related benefits, applying for a U.S. passport, proving a family relationship to settle an estate, doing personal genealogical research, etc. The Census Bureau's Age Search service provides individual information from population censuses that are still protected by the 72-year rule, but only to the named person, his or her heirs, or legal representatives.

The National Archives released the 1950 population census records from the U.S. Census Bureau on April 1, 2022. Because of The 72-Year Rule law of 1978 (92 Stat. 915; Public Law 95-416) which restricts access to historical census records for 72 years after a decennial census, the most recent census year from which records are publicly available is the 1950 Census.   

Online Public Access: The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has digitized all the 1950 Census population schedules for U.S. states and territories, enumeration district maps, and enumeration district descriptions.  

NARA is providing free online public access to the historical 1950 Census records through a dedicated website at 1950census.archives.gov, where users can search the 1950 Census website by name and location as well as search by Indian Reservation for form P8 Indian Reservation Schedules.  

Bulk Download for Researchers: In addition, researchers can download the full 1950 Census dataset. 

The National Archives released the 1940 population census records on April 2, 2012. The digital images are accessible at NARA facilities nationwide through its public access computers as well as on personal computers via the internet.

Only the population schedules are available from 1940. Housing and agriculture schedules were destroyed after data were collected, and therefore, were not microfilmed for eventual public release.

The 1930 census became available on April 1, 2002, as National Archives and Records Administration microfilm publication T626, Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930 (2667 rolls).

The 1930 census and all existing Soundex indexes are available at the National Archives Building, 700 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20408-0001; the Archives' regional facilities around the country; many public libraries; and for a fee at online commercial genealogy sites.

For more information about using the 1930 census to complete your genealogical research, visit the National Archives' 1930 Federal Population Census Web Site.