US Census, 1950

[Erato]

The 1950 census will be released online on Friday April 1st by the National Archives.  It will be searchable but there will probably be a lot of errors because the initial search system is based on OCR reading of the original data forms.  If you can figure out what enumeration district your ancestors were in, it will be easier to find them.  Here are some tips:

https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1950
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1950/finding-aids

Happy hunting!

[Gadget]

Thanks for that info, Erato.  I'm hoping to find a few more cousins on it.

[Ashtone]

I note the NA website indicates "users will be able to access it for free through a dedicated website.
A link to the website will be available here starting on April 1".

Any ideas which website will offer this free access?

[Erato]

I don't know.  They used Archives.com to put out the 1940 census.  Archives.com is a pay site but, by agreement with the National Archives, access to the 1940 census was, and still is, free.

[aghadowey]

Newspapers.com sent me an email with discount offer and under queries were the following comments (I cannot verify their accuracy but it does sound promising)-
"The 1950 Census records will be available for anyone to view for free on Ancestry though you will need to set up a free registrant account."
"It will be available on Ancestry the same as all the other census information. However don’t expect to see info on April 1. That is the day the government releases it, then the work begins to make it presentable to us."
"The 1950 US Census will also become available on FamilySearch.org. FamilySearch is available at no charge."

[Gadget]

I had those listed too. Also, in Erato's link : https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1950

there is a passage that reads:

On April 1, 2022, the 1950 Census will be released, and users will be able to access it for free through a dedicated website. A link to the website will be available here starting on April 1.

[LizzieL]

When my 4th cousin (whose grandparents emigrated to USA) contacted me a few weeks ago, he said he was looking forward to seeing himself on a census!
Something the majority of us in the UK will never see. I mean seeing ourselves - not seeing my cousin.

[CorleyMiller]

I had an email from My Heritage about a week ago saying:

"A once-in-a-decade event is coming up fast: on April 1, 2022, the 1950 U.S. Federal Census images will be released to the public by the National Archives, after the 72-year access restriction expires. Shortly afterwards, you will be able to search these records on MyHeritage. We will publish them rapidly in a new indexed collection."

I suppose it depends on what they mean by 'shortly' as to when the search will be available

[Ashtone]

"The 1950 US Census will also become available on FamilySearch.org. FamilySearch is available at no charge."

Hopefully FS will offer access on 1 April. I'll be searching for one person only - military personnel - who'll presumably be overseas in 1950. Not sure how my search will go, depending on the overseas returns available.