The 1950 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 158,804,396, an increase of 14.5 percent over the 131,669,275 persons enumerated during the 1940 census.[1]
| Seventeenth census of the United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
 U.S. Census Bureau seal | ||
 1950 U.S. census logo | ||
| General information | ||
| Country | United States | |
| Results | ||
| Total population | 158,804,396 ( 14.5%) | |
| Most populous | New York 15,830,192 | |
| Least populous | Nevada 160,083 | |
This was the first census in which:
- More than one state recorded a population of over 10 million
- Every state and territory recorded a population of over 100,000
- All 100 largest cities recorded populations of over 100,000
On April 1, 2022, the National Archives and Records Administration released scanned census enumeration sheets to the general public, in accordance with the 72 year rule.[2]
Census questions
The 1950 census collected the following information from all respondents:[3]
- address
- whether house is on a farm
- name
- relationship to head of household
- race
- sex
- age
- marital status
- birthplace
- if foreign born, whether naturalized
- employment status
- hours worked in week
- occupation, industry and class of worker
In addition, a sample of individuals were asked additional questions covering income, marital history, fertility, and other topics. Full documentation on the 1950 census, including census forms and a procedural history, is available from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series.
Data availability
Microdata from the 1950 census are freely available through the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. Aggregate data for small areas, together with electronic boundary files, can be downloaded from the National Historical Geographic Information System. All identifiable information in the census became available in April 2022 upon the release of the images taken by the National Archives and Records Administration.[4]
On April 1, 2022, 72 years after the census was taken, the National Archives and Records Administration released scanned census enumeration sheets to the general public.[2] The census data was also made freely searchable by name on other websites.[5] Genealogy companies Ancestry and FamilySearch partnered to use AI and human volunteers to review an index of all names listed on the 1950 census forms.
State rankings
| Rank | State | Population as of 1950 census | Population as of 1940 census | Change | Percent change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  New York | 14,830,192 | 13,479,142 | 1,351,050 | 10.0% |
| 2 |  California | 10,586,223 | 6,907,387 | 3,678,836 | 53.3% |
| 3 |  Pennsylvania | 10,498,012 | 9,900,180 | 597,832 | 6.0% |
| 4 |  Illinois | 8,712,176 | 7,897,241 | 814,935 | 10.3% |
| 5 |  Ohio | 7,946,627 | 6,907,612 | 1,039,015 | 15.0% |
| 6 |  Texas | 7,711,194 | 6,414,824 | 1,296,370 | 20.2% |
| 7 |  Michigan | 6,371,766 | 5,256,106 | 1,115,660 | 21.2% |
| 8 |  New Jersey | 4,835,329 | 4,160,165 | 675,164 | 16.2% |
| 9 |  Massachusetts | 4,690,514 | 4,316,721 | 373,793 | 8.7% |
| 10 |  North Carolina | 4,061,929 | 3,571,623 | 490,306 | 13.7% |
| 11 |  Missouri | 3,954,653 | 3,784,664 | 169,989 | 4.5% |
| 12 |  Indiana | 3,934,224 | 3,427,796 | 506,428 | 14.8% |
| 13 |  Georgia | 3,444,578 | 3,123,723 | 320,855 | 10.3% |
| 14 |  Wisconsin | 3,434,575 | 3,137,587 | 296,988 | 9.5% |
| 15 |  Virginia | 3,318,680 | 2,677,773 | 640,907 | 23.9% |
| 16 |  Tennessee | 3,291,718 | 2,915,841 | 375,877 | 12.9% |
| 17 |  Alabama | 3,061,743 | 2,832,961 | 228,782 | 8.1% |
| 18 |  Minnesota | 2,982,483 | 2,792,300 | 190,183 | 6.8% |
| 19 |  Kentucky | 2,944,806 | 2,845,627 | 99,179 | 3.5% |
| 20 |  Florida | 2,771,305 | 1,897,414 | 873,891 | 46.1% |
| 21 |  Louisiana | 2,683,516 | 2,363,516 | 320,000 | 13.5% |
| 22 |  Iowa | 2,621,073 | 2,538,268 | 82,805 | 3.3% |
| 23 |  Washington | 2,378,963 | 1,736,191 | 642,772 | 37.0% |
| 24 |  Maryland | 2,343,001 | 1,821,244 | 521,757 | 28.6% |
| 25 |  Oklahoma | 2,233,351 | 2,336,434 | −103,083  | −4.4% |
| 26 |  Mississippi | 2,178,914 | 2,183,796 | −4,882 | −0.2% |
| 27 |  South Carolina | 2,117,027 | 1,899,804 | 217,223 | 11.4% |
| 28 |  Connecticut | 2,007,280 | 1,709,242 | 298,038 | 17.4% |
| 29 |  West Virginia | 2,005,552 | 1,901,974 | 103,578 | 5.4% |
| 30 |  Arkansas | 1,909,511 | 1,949,387 | −39,876 | −2.0% |
| 31 |  Kansas | 1,905,299 | 1,801,028 | 104,271 | 5.8% |
| 32 |  Oregon | 1,521,341 | 1,089,684 | 431,657 | 39.6% |
| 33 |  Nebraska | 1,325,510 | 1,315,834 | 9,676 | 0.7% |
| 34 |  Colorado | 1,325,089 | 1,123,296 | 201,793 | 18.0% |
| 35 |  Maine | 913,774 | 847,226 | 66,548 | 7.9% |
| — |  District of Columbia | 802,178 | 663,091 | 139,087 | 21.0% |
| 36 |  Rhode Island | 791,896 | 713,346 | 78,550 | 11.0% |
| 37 |  Arizona | 749,587 | 499,261 | 250,326 | 50.1% |
| 38 |  Utah | 688,862 | 550,310 | 138,552 | 25.2% |
| 39 |  New Mexico | 681,187 | 531,818 | 149,369 | 28.1% |
| 40 |  South Dakota | 652,740 | 642,961 | 9,779 | 1.5% |
| 41 |  North Dakota | 619,636 | 641,935 | −22,299 | −3.5% |
| 42 |  Montana | 591,024 | 559,456 | 31,568 | 5.6% |
| 43 |  Idaho | 588,637 | 524,873 | 63,764 | 12.1% |
| 44 |  New Hampshire | 533,242 | 491,524 | 41,718 | 8.5% |
| — |  Hawaii | 499,794 | 422,770 | 77,024 | 18.2% |
| 45 |  Vermont | 377,747 | 359,231 | 18,516 | 5.2% |
| 46 |  Delaware | 318,085 | 266,505 | 51,580 | 19.4% |
| 47 |  Wyoming | 290,529 | 250,742 | 39,787 | 15.9% |
| 48 |  Nevada | 160,083 | 110,247 | 49,836 | 45.2% |
| — |  Alaska | 128,643 | 72,524 | 56,119 | 77.4% |
| — |  United States | 151,325,798 | 132,164,569 | 19,161,229 | 14.5% |
City rankings
Locations of 50 most populous cities
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References
External links
- Historic US Census data
- 1951 U.S Census Report Contains 1950 census results